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| (l-r) Tom Cheek, Kim Crawford, Steve Kleeman, Dan Shriner, Larry Gustin, Ron Krueger, David Graham, Ed Backus and Dick Noble. |
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| (l-r) Tom Cheek, Ron Krueger, Jim Miller, Ed Backus, Dean Howe, Kim Crawford, Dan Shriner, David Graham, Jim Smith, Steve Kleeman, Dick Noble. In total there was about 450 years of journalism experience photographed above and at lunch Thursday. Missing from both photos is Gene Mierzejewski, whose name I always believed should be the spelling test for all new reporters. |
11 comments:
Well, this is certainly odd.
I haven't seen Kim Crawford in about five years and can't understand why he would dye that bushy black beard of his gray?
Oh...wait. Nevermind.
Yes, some of those guys have really gotten old. Glad it hasn't happened to me.
You should have pried off that plaque off the building. Somebody will be doing it soon anyway.
You BUM, Smith! You run 2 pix of the Geezer Gang gathering at the gateway of gloom and can't use one that includes Genemeister Eyechart, who eventually DID show up for the photog???? For shame!
Gene: I don't have one that includes you. These are the ones that the photogs sent to me.
And clearly it is not my fault that a couple people disregarded instructions and headed inside the building rather than staying outside for the photo.
Leave it to an old copy editor to make his own rules.
That said, if I get a photo with your photo in it, I will gladly put it up.
All kidding aside, it was good to see you last week.
Jim
I'm glad you knew I was just kidding. It was a great get-together, and I'm looking forward to the next Gathering of Geezers, Council of Curmudgeons, Synod of Cynics or whatever you want to call it.
Maybe journalism hasn't changed in the digital age. Editors still want more, better, faster:
http://www.journalismjobs.com/Job_Listing.cfm?JobID=1163201
That's right. 24 hours a day you have to be available to cover business, entertainment and local politics. You need to know those subjects well and be prepared to do in-depth investigating on any/all when necessary. Sure you have to take photos and video, we can't afford more than one well-trained professional in that arena. Besides, we don't want any of that photo "drama" just shoot someone's face and spell his name right. Don't forget that if something breaks on your beat at 2 a.m. or noon, you're covering it. You should be passionate and determined and care about the beat regardless of the time. Besides you're young, single and probably childless (because nobody with a family would do this) and plenty happy to have a job with a top scale pay of $15 per hour. We're investing in equipment and cool new offices, not people.
You heard it here first... One day, perhaps not in our lifetimes, news bots or droids will collect and distribute the news -- for zero pay and benefits unless you count much lower maintenance costs. Actually, we already have software that will distribute articles (not news articles as we known them) on various subjects to online article directories and, of course, there is a smartphone app for just about everything. I think we've only seen the tip of the iceberg so far, as dramatic and draconian as many of these newspaper industry changes have been. Maybe this scenario is farfetched, maybe not, but if we can teach an IBM supercomputer to win at Jeopardy and against the world's top chess players, I think we can at least replicate the lame "news content" model now being forced on us by the likes of MLive and their motley crew of technophobe, Johnny-come-lately-turned newfound and alleged online journalism gurus. There even could be a hovering stealth TMZ bot to wait outside Paris Hilton's pad to take paparazzi-stype photos.
Hey Anon 12:31, I like the way you think. We sit here and lament the loss of a once proud newspaper and the men and women who believed what they did mattered, but the truth is -- it doesn't matter anymore. There is no reason that my 17-year old niece can't write about what she thinks of the latest effort of the governor or the mayor or the Nutcracker performance. If someone doesn't like it, they write a rebuttal. I don't need no steenking journalists. Gimme info, gimme commentary, gimme opinion and gimme it fast. Drones for photos and hi-tech gear for eavesdropping, then I can listen and decide who I think is telling the truth and who isn't. No sense moping anymore. Time to get used to a new way of doing bid'nes.
Jim,
Not a comment on this post -- but an FYI on a story this morning in the west:
http://www.mlive.com/business/west-michigan/index.ssf/2011/12/business_review_west_michigan.html
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