Tag Archive for 'mercury'

Merc journalist photo documents impact of depleted newsroom staff

Published
by
Robb Montgomery
on April 11, 2008
in Blog
. 0 Comments

Sometimes the hardest pictures a newspaper journalist makes are the ones they take of themselves during hard times. San Jose Mercury News designer Martin Gee has posted a photo documentary of the effects of several rounds of layoffs and buyouts in his California newsroom. You can feel his heart breaking in captions as he recalls former colleagues and the spirit they brought to the newsroom.


Gee writes:

The last round of layoffs and buyouts really hurt me. i mean, each one does but this one especially. This place feels like a morgue. an abusive relationship. remnants everywhere. Empty cubicles. Empty chairs. Abandoned office equipment. goodbye emails. Besides looking for a new job and building a massive assemblage, this is a way for me to deal.

There will be more photos…


On a photo of an empty nameplate holder Gee writes: “Rich Ramirez committed suicide during the last round of layoffs at the Mercury News.”

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News orgs make mad dash for Facebook love

Published
by
Robb Montgomery
on November 14, 2007
in Blog
. 3 Comments

Are you a “Fan” of us on Facebook? Will you join our group, add my app to your profile and please, please, please please, follow me on Twitter? (I am already following you!)

Perhaps it was this Tweet from the Orlando Sentinel’s Bill Couch that we will look back upon and consider the “shot heard ’round the newsroom.”

Bill Couch’s tweet

Sure seems that the Chicago Tribune got the message. The paper now has a Facebook page and nine “fans.” Eight of them are Tribune employees including big wigs, Owen Youngman, Bill Adee and Jonathon Berlin. (Full disclosure - I have worked with all three of these guys at various stages in my career)

The San Jose Mercury News has a nifty, new Facebook app that displays the latest blog items from their Rethink project. Staffer Ashley Dinges used free tools on Widgetbox to make the Facebook application. I noticed this and launched three new applications up on Facebook myself in about eight hours time. (Your mileage may vary)

But The Merc’s editors don’t stop there. They want better apps, and they are smart enough to ask the community what type they would use. Note: They are using Facebook’s Wall- feature to have the conversation out front. Smart.

The Mercury News also has a page and 26 “fans”. Nine of these are employees of the paper (as far as I can reckon) and a few others are former employees.

Groups on Facebook have been around for awhile - Yuri Victor created one for Visual Editors and it has attracted over 325 members.

I am not really sure why Facebook needed to offer businesses the chance to put up corporate pages when most people were already using groups to do the same thing - but at least I know where to find the Tribune people now . . .

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