Thursday, July 23, 2009

Bye-bye Ann Arbor News

Instead of trying to redo what Inside Out has already done, drop over and follow the links there for news about the final days of the 174-year-old Ann Arbor News.
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6 comments:

Jim of L-Town said...

Again slightly edited to remove the full name of the editor. I replaced it with initials, but if you come here anonymously, I won't use a full name. Jim

Speaking of dying and dead newspapers ... can someone tell me if Editor JF has left the Flint Journal? Supposedly, his last day was June 1, 2009 but it seems from post-June 1 appearances on local cable TV shows that he may still be employed there. I'd simply refer to the FJ's Contact Us web page, but it is hopelessly outdated. It still lists zillions of editors and reporters who long ago were forced into early retirement or jobs at the local Halo Burger. Yes, JF's name can still be found there.

Outdated contact page? Odd for a paper moving largely to an online entity, huh? Also odd for an organization whose product depends on a reputation for accuracy, huh? One starts to wonder if they purposefully leave the page as-is to give the appearance of being a far bigger enterprise.

Anyway, I'd call the FJ for an answer to my question but I don't care to speak with JF or anyone else still there; I was just hoping for an answer here from someone in the know.

JF's published statements about his supposedly imminent departure have spun it into an ambiguous yet upbeat, voluntary situation. My point is that I believe he would stay indefinitely if given a reprieve. So ... it begs the question: is this indeed what occurred? It sure seems like he's still there and I know June 1 is history. And if not JF, whom is the new editor??? Did I miss something?

Obviously, this all cries out for an update on FL newsroom management ...

23 July, 2009 17:18
Jim of L-Town said...

I think I accidentally deleted a comment when I was editing the other one, so if you sent a comment and it hasn't appeared. I apologize. Please resubmit.

23 July, 2009 17:21
Anonymous said...

JF is leaving next week. He agreed to stay on while MR took a family leave when she was blessed with a child.

23 July, 2009 19:28
Anonymous said...

In the AP story I just read, the content czar "acknowledges" that "people took a pay cut to join us." He doesn't mention all the people who lost their jobs entirely, and that if the ones who stayed hadn't taken a pay cut, they'd be joining their former co-workers on unemployment instead. He also states "We're dead serious about journalism." He almost got it right. Journalism is dead in Ann Arbor.

23 July, 2009 21:05
former newsie said...

I'm not sure if JF is still there or not. He was staying on until the new editor, MR, got back from maternity leave. Don't know if that's happened.

23 July, 2009 22:42
Jim of L-Town said...

I don't know if the old editor is still their either and I have tried to steer away from this particular issue because it is a family matter and not really related to journalism.

23 July, 2009 22:45

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