Quick update on life

I'm sorry for the long absence, guys. What can I say? Sometimes life just gets away from you. So here is what has changed so far:

~ I am gainfully employed again. I now work part time as a page designer for both the Suffolk News-Herald and the Tidewater News. Part time is great because it gives me a chance to get back into the flow of working. Part time is bad because it is obviously less money.

~We set a date for our wedding and then promptly had the date taken away from us. We are in a holding pattern now which is giving me all kinds of stressed feelings. Hopefully I will eventually get over them and there will be a wedding in the near future.

~I have not cooked a meal in a very long time, which is unfortunate since it was such a great stress relieving activity.

This weekend the fiance and I are dog-sitting the fiance's family dog, Dylan. He's a sweet and mischievous 16-year-old English Setter. It's been lovely to get a chance to teach Miyagi how to be with another dog without having to play with them. He needs this lesson because he has a habit of getting into sometimes painful trouble when he won't leave a dog who doesn't want to play alone. They are currently cuddling together on the couch. It was another feat altogether to get him to realize that the couch was not his, a distinction necessary when teaching him to leave Dylan alone when he wanted to sleep on the couch.

Miyagi and Dylan nap together on the couch

Dispatches from the job search: On cookies and (un)employment

The following is from a new blog I've created to record and cope with the trials and tribulations of my job search. Follow it here.

I was in the 11th grade when I took an advanced writing class at my high school. By then I knew I was going to be a wordsmith, I just hadn't quite figured out where to apply my talents. It was in that class that I was introduced to the field of journalism. My senior year I was accepted into a mentorship with the local newspaper. From day 1, when I was assigned my very first story as a reporter, I was hooked.
When I graduated from college - armed with a journalism degree, a year of experience as the editor in chief of the school paper and an undying passion for the art - I took my first job as a copy editor at a hyperlocal newspaper. Unfortunately that was also the year the newspaper business began a nosedive that ended with a phone call and the giant cookie you see above.
Alright, the path to that cookie wasn't nearly direct as I make it sound. I enjoyed almost two years of wonderful people willing to teach me the ropes. I grew to enjoy designing pages and eventually became a little obsessed with the online medium that all newspapers are moving into. And I will be forever grateful to those who took me under their wing and fought to keep me around. But, alas, I couldn't stay there forever. It seems a twist of fate has finally bulldozed me a new path.
On Wednesday morning - St. Patrick's Day - I received the summons to the HR office that all of us were dreading since the announcement came that layoffs were imminent. I was among those who were being laid off. It was the third round of layoffs that I had experienced since joining the paper, and I suppose my luck had finally run out.
I'm not embarrassed to say that I went to a bar that night. Of course, so did the rest of the nation. It was St. Paddy's Day, after all.
My fiance made me promise that I would not attempt to do anything for a few days. Take a break; that was his advice. But I'm not much of a take-a-break kind of person. I did start my job the day after I accepted my diploma, instead of taking a week off like everyone said I should have.
So, after celebrating that I was one quarter Irish (and mourning my career), I made the giant cookie you see above. And then I ate it. With ice cream and peanut butter. Because I could. And then I fell into a coma.
I woke up this morning, less than 24 hours into my newly unemployed condition, and I was already bored.
And this is where this blog comes in. You see, I love writing. I realized about half way through my enormous cookie that I would not be able to survive a job search on writing cover letters alone. I also realized that many of you might be in the same boat as I am and could use my failures as lessons on how not to go about recovering from being laid off. And eventually, you could learn from my successes on how to find a job. At the very least you can laugh at me as I struggle to network, apply and interview my way into the next step in my life.
Won't you join me?

I will post the first few posts from "Dispatches" here, and then I will discontinue. I'll continue to do my normal posting here. Please follow both, if that's what interests you.

~Beth

A change is gonna come...

Dear readers, I'm afraid that I sit on a precipice. Yesterday our editor told us that due to outsourcing, copy editors and designers would soon be obsolete at my paper. Those are the two areas I focus on right now (while I build my online skills on the side), so this means I can almost feel the hairs of the scope settling over me as the powers-that-be prepare to lay off 10-15 of us copy editors and designers. We won't know until at least next week, and likely more than three weeks, whether we still have a place here at my shrinking paper. It's just another blow to the newspaper industry and to those of us who attempted to embark on a career in a field that is apparently dying.
My company has gone through 3 sets of lay offs in the less than two years I've been working here. This will be the first time I've actually feared for my job. And the future is hanging heavily over my head.
I do have enough saved up to cover necessities if I were be laid off (call it my 3-month emergency fund that I've steadily grown to cover 5 months because I am so loathe to spend money). But I have virtually no job prospects, at least not in the state where I hope to eventually attend graduate school. I certainly couldn't afford a dog if I were to be laid off, and the fiance and I have been seriously talking about adopting one in the next few months. And, as the fiance said, the wedding is not a necessity at this point.
So, my dear readers, it seems my steady little world has been largely upended. Not only do I not know if I will have a job in three weeks, I also don't know if I will be married in 2010. Right now the plan is to find a venue with openings, but we won't consider offering a down payment or signing a contract until April, when all of this will hopefully be resolved.

A rant on journalism

Apparently journalists on both sides of the new media/old media line are supposed to be duking it out on a virtual battlefield as they fight for supremacy. What? Why can't we be friends (sing it with me). If you're still interested in my views on journalism, head over to my journalism blog, Between picas and html for a lovely rant on the so-called war between journalists. I'm thinking we need to raise a white flag or we're journalism as a whole is doomed.

A mandate for journalists

If you're still interested in some of my observations on journalism, go to http://beckelizabeth.wordpress.com/ to read a piece designed to get journalists to take responsibility for newspapers apparent death and for the resurrection of the industry.

I'll be back...I swear

I've been missing. I know. In fact, I'm not really sure what I've been doing with myself. Between launching a redesign, taking over some new responsbilities and training for them at work and trying not to get sick, my schedule has been less than ideal. And I've been quite tired.

Anyway, I will be returning for regularily scheduled posts. Though I have still been reading my blogs. Most recent interesting one?

The blogger on 'Recovering Journalist' writes, "Newspapers are dead. The future is now. Let's start finding the best ways to serve the audience that's clamoring for something that puts the 'new' back into news."

Well said.

New media

I've always been enamored with print journalism (as a previous post attests). The smell of the ink right off the press, the crinkle of newsprint, the inherent trust that I have for the printed word...It all brings me back to my roots. But print is heading out of style, mostly because of the price of upkeep. And what is replacing it? Online journalism, at its finest. What started as a bunch of uploaded articles from the print version, has turned into a dynamic feed of news that offers almost immediate updates and brand new ways of looking at news. From New York Times' dynamic feature on Election Day that showed how the audience was feeling about the election in real time to the Salt Lake Tribune's effort to put news on the map for readers, journalism is evolving at a rapid pace. And in fact, many traditional print journalists are, understandably, jumping ship to online.
The one thing that must be said is that we still need journalism. That much is obvious. But the creators of the new world of online journalism need to tread carefully. We can't fully abandon the principle of print just because we are working in a new medium.
According to Virginia Heffernan, writing her column The Medium in the Dec. 5 issue of the NY Times' Sunday Magazine:

"The third argument says we have to change. We have to develop content that metamorphoses in sync with new ways of experiencing it, disseminating it and monetizing it. This argument concedes that it’s not possible to translate or extend traditional analog content like news reports and soap operas into pixels without fundamentally changing them. So we have to invent new forms. All of the fascinating, particular, sometimes beautiful and already quaint ways of organizing words and images that evolved in the previous centuries — music reviews, fashion spreads, page-one news reports, action movies, late-night talk shows — are designed for a world that no longer exists. They fail to address existing desires, while conscientiously responding to desires people no longer have."

Her argument revolves around the assumption that readers don't want to see the features of a newspaper placed directly online. This argument is fundamentally true. But what we do need is to figure out how to translate the principles of newspapers to online media.
A new study sponsored by the Reynolds Journalism Institute and the Associated Press Managing Editors explores the so-called "online credibility gap" and what readers want from their online news. The report discovered many things, but one thing that is surprising is that many of the people surveyed said that online journalism benefits from the principles of print journalism. According to the report:

"Both the public and editors thought all the basics such as 'verifying information,'
'getting the facts right,' 'correcting mistakes,' and both journalists and users 'taking
responsibility for accuracy' should be practiced to support good journalism online."

Journalists should take note and realize that we can't abandon print journalism principles just because we've gone online. While we can stretch our creative processes and come up with some great ways to present the news, we will never have to worry about not being needed or wanted by the public. Offering accurate, unbiased news will always be considered important.

All that being said, I am now trying to decide whether to continue to pursue a print-heavy career, or to completely immerse myself in online journalism. I'm beginning to lean towards online just because of all the new and creative potential it offers for bringing the news to readers.

The plans

This is basically an update to this post, which was my original introductory post. Quite a few things have chanced since 2007, including my plans for this blog.
A few things you should know:

• I graduated from college in May 2008, where I was the Editor in Chief of the school's weekly newspaper.
• Since then I've been working as a copy editor at the Daily Press, a community-minded paper covering Hampton Roads, Virgina
• I've also segued into page design and uploading stories/pictures to our Web site.

So with all that said, my purpose is to chronicle a young journalist's beginning in an industry that is quickly evolving. Through the journey I'll share my reflections on the medium and my experiences learning the new tools that journalists will need to survive. I'll begin by updating three times a week (MWF). Monday and Wednesday will always be about journalism and my quest to find my place in it, while Friday will be a grab-bag day. Friday's will include random finds on the net, reviews of books I'm reading, an exploration of a really neat article I've read or some photos I've taken recently.

So, welcome to the new Search for Truth.

Why we need the press...

I admit. I may be a little biased here. But maybe its not so much bias as truth. And while I would hope you would take my word for it, I don't expect you to. Instead I ask that you just consider a few words about why you should care about newspapers from a free newspaper in New York City called AM New York. Some parts that stuck out to me:

"What this means is fewer voices, fewer opinions presented in fewer ways, all of which has a tremendous impact on the public discourse in a very dangerous way," said Mary Boyle, a spokeswoman for Common Cause.
“How do they do investigative journalism and keep politicians and businesses honest?” he said. “Blogs can fill in some of the vacuum but do they have the resources to risk lawsuits for taking on the powerful?”
As newspaper staffs shrink, so might the ranks of those who dedicate their careers to the profession.

All of these are perfect points that explain why I'm still in newspapers and why I want to fight so hard to save them, or at least the main idea behind them. We aim to share the news and safeguard the people. As long as I am doing that, I am quite happy in any medium. But sometimes its hard to beat the design found on paper (even glossy magazine paper)
Take a look at the AM New York's cover for the story discussed about at Mario Garcia's blog about newspaper design. I send you there not only because the head is so well done and shows how to use both color and words to make your point in design, but also that Mario is quite informed about all things designed. A good resource if it has any interest for you folks.

And, for a laugh (because one really can't be in the newspaper business without a sense of humor, morbid or otherwise), the blogger over at News after Newspapers has an interesting list of predictions for 2009. The most amusing:
"A major motion picture or HBO series featuring a journalism theme (perhaps a blogger involved in saving the world from nefarious schemes) will generate renewed interest in journalism as a career."
And hey, this could mean a revival for journalism.

Sticking up for the bossman...

Okay, okay. All traditional journalists have a thing or two to say about Sam Zell (CEO of the Tribune Co., the parent company of The Daily Press, where I work). Most hate him and the rest can just barely stand him. I think he came at an inopportune time to do something the business needed: shake it out of its self-induced fog of contentment. Unfortunately, it was too little too late to save us the easy way. So this means that we have to save ourselves the hard way, which is exactly what Chapter 11 is. A way to save ourselves from debtors so we can have time to do a drastic reorganization, the same reorganization we've been needing.
As a sort of nontraditional employee here (I'm new to the newspaper business and in fact have no real stake in the Daily Press other than a biweekly paycheck that isn't worth that much) its odd that I suddenly have such strong opinions about Zell and his top minion (Chief Innovation Officer Lee Abrams). Even odder is that my instinct is to finally stick up for them. Timing seems to put Zell solely to blame for the apparent collapse of a respected media giant. But in truth, he was given the mess we're in now. It may be his drastic cuts and quick decision to try to sell-off such superfluous holdings as Careerbuilder and the Chicago Cubs (why a newspaper would need a baseball team is something I have not been able to understand) that are keeping us from actually having to go bankrupt.
So that said, all of those commenting on the situation are really not helping by attacking Zell and gleefully cackling about the downfall of his plan. All that does is make it harder for those of us actually affected by the company's failures to buckle-down and try to remake journalism.

For other comments on the Tribune check out Buzz Machine, Newspaper Deathwatch, Recovering Journalist, and Web 2.0h really?. These are all blogs and offer a range of comments about Zell's affect on the Tribune and the news industry. My favorite is the old rebuttal from Jeff Jarvis on the Buzz Machine which says that Zell can't be blamed for something that is the result of "decades of egotistical and willfully ignorant neglect by the owners, managers — and staff — at" newspapers.

Grammar Nazi

Those who know me will tell you that I am a grammar nazi. Hearing bad gammar is like nails on a chalkboard for me (Unless of course I am intoxicated; and therefore, I am a infinitely more relaxed person than in normal life. Hey, I even like people when I am in said state.)

So there is a wonderful site for people like me (especially those of us who work in newspapers) to learn how to be even more of an ass as far as picking apart people's speech/writing goes. So, if you want to truly annoy the crap out of people by yelling at them for speaking incorrectly, please, visit this Web site: You Don't Say. It's created by a veteran copy editor and involves a good deal of humor as well, especially if you are the sort of person to snicker at other people.

Fact-checking

I wonder sometimes where some of these reporters we have working at this paper went to school. How about a little fact-checking? As hard times cuts into the number of positions available at newspapers, one must accept that there will never again be individuals tasked with the sole job of making sure all of the facts (from name spellings to peoples' ages) are correct. By acknowledging this fact, we must also accept that each journalist is now also a fact-checker. Reporters should check their facts. Copy-editors should check those facts, too. But something as simple as a person's name should never be something I have to fix.

First rule of reporting that I learned: If you are interveiwing someone named John Smith, ask that person to spell their name. Why? Because of the Jon Smythe (or many other variations) that you will indefinitely run into in this business. And if this rule applies to the John Smiths (and Jon Symthes) of the world, why wouldn't you check a name so complicated that it consists of 30 letters, 10 syllables and one dash (if spelled and said correctly)?

Though it does give me great pleasure when I am the one who catches such mistakes. It makes this not-always-ideal job worth it.

The only overtly political words you will hear from me...

I have been shocked recently by some of the stuff coming out of the election. Happily shocked in the way most people seem to suddenly be so full of hope. Our newspaper is selling out not because we are awesome writers/editors/designers but because everyone wants to read about the message of hope that we are being given. It's a wonderful time to be in America. Let's hope that the hope holds out and becomes something real and tangible.
Unfortunately, I've also be unhappily shocked by some of the reactions of people. Those who just completely shut down and say they must move elsewhere - and are actually serious about it. Why? Because the president-elect is black? Because he's brought hope to a dark country? There are people who have good reasons: they fear the 'give to the poor' attitude, and they have a right to that feeling. But what I feel most people are missing is that Obama seems to want to listen to them, too. He's the first leader that I've ever seen who I can't make a cynical joke about, because I cannot believe in my own cynicism enough to apply it to him.
I'm not stupid. I know he'll make mistakes, probably big ones, but I think he'll own up to them, and better yet actually fix them.
What is the most important quality I see in all of this, and you notice if you knew me, is that these are not my normal, everyday cynical, pessimistic comments. I am not that person. In fact I make fun of that person all the time. But these days, I can't.

And that is all I'm gonna say about that.