tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11753985.post2761803165540673244..comments2023-12-03T02:23:12.272-06:00Comments on BeggarsCanBeChoosers.com: Hiring Kristol Marks A New Low for The New York TimesMarc McDonaldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17105754072842852126noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11753985.post-7643984309048026902008-01-02T14:15:00.000-06:002008-01-02T14:15:00.000-06:00Hi Red Hog: thanks for the kind words and I hope y...Hi Red Hog: thanks for the kind words and I hope you had a great New Year's.<BR/><BR/>Pygalgia: thanks for stopping by and I do agree with your point on the NYT.<BR/><BR/>Bukko: thanks for your post. I think newspaper will continue to screw their workers as long as the employees are afraid to organize (but, of course, that's true of the American workforce as a whole).<BR/><BR/>It's a difficult time for unions when the law of the land is openly hostile to labor.Marc McDonaldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17105754072842852126noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11753985.post-3278834437832806492008-01-02T14:07:00.000-06:002008-01-02T14:07:00.000-06:00Hi, Donna, thanks for stopping by.re:>>A journalis...Hi, Donna, thanks for stopping by.<BR/>re:<BR/>>>A journalist isn't in it for the<BR/>>>money. But they need to be paid<BR/>>>enough to live on.<BR/><BR/>When I got a journalism degree, I knew going in that newspapers paid low wages.<BR/>When I got my first newspaper job, I was shocked at just HOW long wages would be.<BR/>I found myself making significantly less than I had in my previous job as a truck driver.<BR/>What's more, the small newspaper I worked for was bought out by a large chain just before I got hired.<BR/>They promptly fired all the staff (veterans who'd worked there for many years and who knew the local beats well) and brought in all new faces, knowing that they could pay new journalism grads not much more than minimum wage.Marc McDonaldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17105754072842852126noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11753985.post-83438688944639675222008-01-02T12:33:00.000-06:002008-01-02T12:33:00.000-06:00Newspapers, even small local ones, can be relevant...Newspapers, even small local ones, can be relevant if they choose to be. When they are bought out by uncaring corporations who simply see them as money mills, though, they become a lost cause. <BR/><BR/>Someone has simply got to realize that there need to be things that motivate us as Americans, as people, beyond the not so might anymore dollar. Otherwise, that dollar becomes worthless. <BR/><BR/>A journalist isn't in it for the money. But they need to be paid enough to live on, and at least have the hope they might get that One Big Story. Otherwise, why are they supposed to be there anyway?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11753985.post-60348535514377184952008-01-01T14:28:00.000-06:002008-01-01T14:28:00.000-06:00I know where you're coming from on he underpaid, o...I know where you're coming from on he underpaid, overworked field. It's a problem of supply and demand.<BR/><BR/>When I got out of the newspaper reporter game in 1991 (not entirely by choice) I recall a statistic from Editor and Publisher that there were 60,000 editorial positions on all the daily newspapers in the U.S. Only 60 K jobs on all the dailies, and that included photogs, sports guys, copy editors, upper level brass, everyone.<BR/><BR/>Now, there are 50 states in the Union. Say each one has one university with a J-school, and each cranks out 100 graduates a year. That's almost certainly an underestimate of the numbers. So you have at least 5,000 fresh faces chasing some of those 60,000 jobs. Oversupply of workers breeds contempt.<BR/><BR/>I was lucky. I got paid good money, for the time, until my bureau got closed during the Gulf War I recession. Looked for another reporting job for almost a year without success, then noticed that even in a recession there were "Help Wanted" ads for medical people. It wasn't easy to go to nursing school with no money coming in. But now I'm in demand, I get better money with my two years of trade school than I did with a 4-year college degree and 10 years of reporting experience, and it's even allowed me to immigrate to another country. FWIW, there are 60,000 nursing jobs just in the STATE of Victoria, which is small potatoes compared to the overall population of the U.S.<BR/><BR/>Damn shame that newspapers don't provide opportunity any more. Another reason why the quality is dropping.Bukko Boomerangerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02424677168216647964noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11753985.post-38458146607857757562007-12-31T12:20:00.000-06:002007-12-31T12:20:00.000-06:00Ditto Marco! It's the local paper, NPR (our Iowa ...Ditto Marco! It's the local paper, NPR (our Iowa Public Radio includes broadcast from BBC every afternoon!) and internet news, (Reuters,AP, and others) for me. And I would be remiss if I didn't include Beggars Can be Choosers, In Perspective, Low on the Hog, Manifesto Joe's Texas Blues and The Reaction as must read blogs! Happy New Year!<BR/>oh...and Kristol? fuggetaboutit. He ranks right up there with Rushbo for hard hitting news.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11753985.post-18335820054460044422007-12-31T12:04:00.000-06:002007-12-31T12:04:00.000-06:00While I certainly agree with you that the Guardian...While I certainly agree with you that the Guardian and FT are much better sources for actual news, the NYT remains a good indicator of the pulse of the American media. If you know the bent of the columnist, you can get a heads up on the talking points that will be widespread by reading the NYT. So I still read it, with skepticism and cynicism. I like to know what the bastards are saying.pygalgiahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14423302866723206260noreply@blogger.com