Journal editorial exhibits double standard

Flint Journal editorial hypocrisy has been discussed here before (http://freefromeditors.blogspot.com/2007/12/sometimes-no-news-is-hypocrisy.html), but an editorial posted on Sept. 12, 2008 really takes the cake.

In the editorial:


http://www.mlive.com/flintjournal/voices/index.ssf/2008/09/wrong_deal_advertisements_on_s.html

The Journal says a school district should not use advertising on buses for the sake of the children. Good enough. Makes sense. However, the Journal delivers its product to schools every week under the Newspaper In Education program.

Guess what, those newspapers are full of advertisements, many directed at young people, and they didn't bother to say that's a bad thing.

Might have something to do with the NIE program and its importance to the overall circulation numbers of the newspaper. The newspaper loves sending those papers to schools because it inflates its circulation numbers, which in turn allow them to charge advertisers more money. Or maybe they are just concerned about another competitor for ad dollars.

So my beef isn't with the content of the editorial, but in the fact that I doubt the newspaper will follow its own advice and decline to send the newspapers to the schools out of concern for hurting the children.

More bad news

For my friends at the Journal, if you've had enough bad news for awhile, forget going to this post because it will seem all too familiar.

http://maryland-politics.blogspot.com/2008/09/crisis-at-gazette-part-three.html

But if you are into newspaper masochism there are a number of equally depressing items at the "Fading to Black" link in the right hand column.

More on new Flint Journal buyouts

OK, first I have to correct my first report on the new round of buyouts. The information came not from Publisher Dave Sharp, but was given to staff members by Editor Tony Dearing following the weekly recognition meetings. (Gosh, I hated those).

After gushing over this week's stories (one of the editor's favorite, if incomprehensible sayings, was that this or that writer "had written with authority." Never knew what that meant, because the examples he gave were simply just good writing that any competent reporter could or should do. Or how about the other time he lavished praise on a reporter for using a reverse directory to find a witness for a story by, stop the presses, looking in a reverse directory. Any first year cub reporter would know how to do that, but to the editor this was a major accomplishment). Sorry for the aside, but I quit going to those meetings after he gushed over the work of an editor over the coverage of a tornado. What the editor apparently didn't know was the weekend coverage of the tornado was almost completely reporter driven. The best thing the editor did that particular weekend was that he got out of the way and let us do our job, which come to think of it probably deserved some praise because it so rarely happened.

Anyway, back to the buyouts. It sounds like after a little prodding, the editor acknowledged that the revenue stream had turned to a trickle and that some serious additional cutting had to be done. Sounds like editors may be on the block this time as the Booth company is now looking at consolidating all the properties into one massive budget.

Because I wasn't at the meeting I'm piecing together information that tells me that people and resources could be moved around to maximize profits instead of each paper serving on its own.
The inference was that what had been seen as a potential profit turnaround by 2010 is not happening and may in fact be deteriorating.

No specifics were announced on the next round of buyouts, but there was some statement that they won't be as lucrative as they were last year. Believe me, those of us who took the buyouts are very thankful (and grateful) for the extent of them.

We are sad that our colleagues continue to face the uncertainty of the newspaper's survival. It is hard to imagine the company selling the Journal or even closing up shop, but it sounds like those options are on the table, at least a year from now.

As I learn more, I'll keep you posted.

Flint Journal buy outs Part III

Looks like the free fall continues at the Flint Journal. Apparently there will soon be a third wave of "targeted" buyouts at the Flint Journal.

Publisher Dave Sharp has told the staff that the hoped for turnaround at the newspaper simply has not happened. It was one year ago this week that the second round of buyouts were announced at the paper.

As you will recall, the deal at that time was four weeks pay for every year worked if you were a full-time employee. The publisher also said that there would be no further buyouts and that this (last year's buyout) was the best opportunity to get out with a little cash and dignity.

Stay tuned for details.

Corrupt politician launches attack on corrupt politicians

Flint (Michigan) Mayor Don Williamson has launched a website to root out political corruption in Genesee County, Michigan.

That's a little like Charlie Manson launching a website to identify crazy, lunatic, homicidal maniacs in California prisons.

Mayor Williamson has a thick brain and thin skin, a dangerous combination.

So "The Don" as he is known in these parts (you know the angry part of the country where we cling to our religion and our guns) has identified his first five targets:

The first two targets, Alex Harris and Raymond Bridges, just happen to be the key movers in an attempt to recall the mayor. Two others are executives at the Flint Journal and the third is a Flint Journal columnist who has been ruthless (in a ruthlessly good way) towards the Mayor.

So the first five corruption targets are simply opponents of the Mayor. No secret there and here is the exact text on the website, which is "thecorruptionmustend.com."

"We look forward to meeting you and working with you to put a stop to the corrupt politics in Flint and Genesee County! The corrupt politicians and the agenda driven media need to be exposed, but we need your help, please make a donation today!

COMING SOON!!! "My life as a Prison Guard."
Alex Harris abuse of power...

COMING SOON!!! "My ties to Drug Dealers."
Raymond Bridges is comfortable on the corner...

COMING SOON!!! "The Three Stooges Exposed:"

David "LARRY" Sharp (FJ publisher, my note)

Andy "CURLY" Heller (FJ columnist, my note)

Tony "MOE" Dearing (FJ columnist, my note)"

I think the Mayor has it all wrong here, Andy Heller is clearly "Moe."

The website is a joke. You can leave a comment, but not without enough information for someone to start an FBI probe on you and then only comments approved (read only positive comments) will be used. Guess what, all the comments are positive so far.

This is a Mayor who has a police chief who will fire you if you talk to a newspaper (then they hire you back after a city lawyer explains that the chief and city are walking on legal quicksand).

Frankly, the newspaper has been too easy on the Mayor. Some suspect that the large advertising contract of the Mayor's Flint Township car dealership (OK, it's technically the Patsy Lou Williamson dealership, but everyone knows who really runs it) has influenced some of the paper's coverage of the Mayor. I simply don't know.

Brief aside: Before he was Mayor, Don Williamson, did land me an interview with his good buddy, Burt Reynolds, who was the namesake of a Dodge truck tricked out as "The Bandit." As I recall the truck also had Burt's signature on it.

Burt was in town to promote the truck and I was able to interview him for nearly 45 minutes at the dealership. It was a fun interview that actually broke a little news as Burt had just completed the movie "Boogie Nights." Reynolds did not want to talk much about the movie even offering that it might have been a mistake. He changed his tune a few months later when he was nominated for an Academy Award.

Aside over.

If the Flint Journal wanted to it could go back a few years and look up another highly touted website that hizzoner started after he was first in office. That one had to do with slumlords. He set up that website to track down the worst blight offenders in the city and again to attack the media.

After a few weeks flurry of stories and comments, it fizzled like a wet firecracker. The mayor is all flash and dash, but no substance. So if you're interested in seeing the website, better check in quick, it is likely to fade into history in short order.

And for those of you checking in from Estonia, Morocco, France or even California, just thank your lucky stars you don't live in Flint.

New season, same old Lions, ugggh

All the optimism of a 4-0 preseason just evaporated with the reality of a 34-21 loss (and it wasn't really that close) to the young Atlanta Falcons team (rookie quarterback Matt Ryan shredded the Lions) may be a preview of what is to come.

As always, my expectations for the Lions (last championship came when Eisenhower was President) were very low and not unrewarded. My plans were not to watch the game, but my wife talked me into it saying that I needed to relax after a busy week and a busy Saturday cleaning our yard.

Now I wish I had worked outside. What a wasted afternoon watching a wasted effort by a wasted team.

If any city or region needed a lift right now it's Detroit (depression, disgraced Mayor, slumping Detroit Tigers baseball team - and if you need more I can send them to you) but unlike the inspirational New Orleans Saints, we have, to be charitable, an unusually bad football team here in Detroit.

So I hate to give up on them this early, but for the sake of my attitude and to return productiveness to my afternoons, I must. Someone let me know if they turn the corner on this miserable performance, but not until they have tallied eight wins, anything less is just another wasted season.

And just in case you are an Atlanta Falcons fan, don't get too excited about your team, either. The Lions have made a lot of poor teams look better than they really are in recent years. So I wish you well, but you'll need to face a real team before you know how good your team is.

The Ford family might have had the formula for making a good car at one time, but they have been failures at football, but they cling to the franchise that so desperately needs a Jerry Jones or another owner who not only cares about football, but winning.

At least training camp starts soon for the Detroit Red Wings Stanley Cup winning hockey team.

Let's go Red Wings!

MSU routs EMU Eagles 42-10

Life is good, the Spartans win. Joan and I are going to see MSU next Saturday in East Lansing. They are playing Florida (something, but not one of the biggees like Florida, Florida State or Miami). It may be Florida Mother-of-Mercy or something like that.

I hate that these really good football teams load up the schedule early with cupcake teams to inflate their records. Now that I've said that, let's home MSU (Michigan State) for those who might confuse it with Missouri State or something, takes care of business next Saturday as they face Florida (whatever). Who will ever forget what happened to Michigan last season against Appalachian State. Not that any of us from MSU will ever give them a chance to forget.

Javon Ringer ran for five touchdowns today. He's the best.

A little Addisen attitude, and Brittany style

My favorite picture (so far) of my granddaughter Addisen (the little one on the left). I also have attached a photo of my other "favorite" granddaughter Brittany who has started college this fall. They are both precious in their own ways.

I miss my little Brittany and am reminded of her every time Miss Addisen stops by, which is far too infrequently.

Another news sales graph going the wrong direction

From the Reflections of a Newsosaur blog (link to the right)

http://newsosaur.blogspot.com/2008/09/newspaper-sales-fall-record-3b-in-6-mos.html#comments

I keep hoping that things have hit bottom, but it appears the bottom may be pretty deep.

Journal salaries: A story of have and have nots

As far as I can tell about 40 (give or take) editorial department employees took the most recent buyout. The fact that the large exodus of experienced news gathering employees eviscerated the newsroom is evidenced by the large number of new hires.

As promised, I have collected information during the past month on salaries at both the weeklies and the daily Flint Journal. In addition to some specific salary amounts (no names will be listed here) I have information that put together with other facts result in a fair educated guess as to others.

When I left the Journal there were more than 80 editorial employees. According to the latest staff listing on Mlive, the Flint Journal now has about 75 editorial employees. Of those, less than half are involved in the direct collection of news.

I counted 21 daily newspaper reporters (several who are part-time reporters and two columnists), 8 weekly reporters, one editorial writer and five reporters that because I have been out of the newsroom am unable to figure out which side they work on. That’s a total of 35 reporters.

The rest of the editorial department, about 40 people, is made up of editors, copy editors, page designers, a TV coordinator, calendar coordinator, librarian, office staff and a community conversation producer. Top heavy, you bet.

Shockingly, and perhaps mistakenly, there are only three photographers listed on the staff roster. I know they have a small stable of free lancers they call on, but it is hard to imagine the Flint Journal operating with such a tiny number of photographers, especially with the stated reliance on good graphics, photos and videos.

So, in the way of a recap, let’s go back to 1989 when I started at the Journal. I was hired out of the Oakland Press at a step somewhat above the starting salary step. I was paid $610 a week in 1989. When I left in December, my base pay was $1,052 a week.

There are several reporters who are still at that top step and for those who cover night meetings and work night shifts there’s an additional 5 percent incentive pay. Presumably there are reporters still making as much as $1,100 a week in the newsroom.

That’s the same pay that some of the copy editors who took the buyouts were also making when they left. New reporters are being hired in at about $35,000 to $36,000 a year. That is slightly higher than the $33,000 a year that I started at in 1989.

In my early years at the Journal, merit and cost-of-living raises were annual and in at least one year I received a 10 percent raise. In recent years, the paper has given an annual bonus (on top of the 53rd week paycheck that it always did) which has ranged about 1 to 1.5 percent. It's a one time payment that does not increase an employee's salary, thereby holding down eventual retirement costs.

Weekly salaries are all over the map and to be frank the information was difficult to come by. People at the Journal are terrified of speaking up for fear of what might happen to them if they are caught expressing their right of free speech.

But here is what I have learned. New weekly reporters (most of the weekly reporters are full-time, but a couple, some who have been there a long, long time have been kept at part-time status) are starting at $11 an hour. Must be a hard pill to swallow to earn McDonald’s wages when you have to pay off college loans, pay rent and maintain a car. There may be veteran weekly reporters making close to the starting wages of new daily reporters, but again, information was difficult to come by.

Some of the weekly reporters absorbed by the Journal when it purchased the weeklies were making about $14 a hour. At least one of those has left, so I'm not sure how many folks remain at that level.

At least one veteran, full-time weekly reporter who reportedly has a master’s degree is hauling down a miserly $22,000 a year.

Now editors, this is a harder target to hit. As you can imagine, I’m not on the frequent contact list of any editor at the Journal. Can’t say as I blame them. But through some anecdotal information I can make a couple educated estimations.

Middle managers are making in the $70-$75,000 range. (Although a new editor brought in came in at about half that, I believe that person has now moved on). My guess is that the managing editor must be up in the mid to high $80,000 range and no doubt the editor is close or above the six figure mark.

There have been rumored management bonuses and perks apart from the annual 53rd week paycheck, but again I have no information on that.

Benefits are fairly consistent, with part-timers receiving part-time benefits. The only change will come next year when retirement health care will significantly change or become non-existent for some. (See earlier blog entry).

Some of us who left received lump sum payments of nearly two years' pay (some more than that) others are receiving weekly checks equal to what they were making when they were at the Journal. Clearly, this has to be a long range strategy to reduce expenses, but in the short run it would seem to be tremendous financial hit to the newspaper. At the same time you are paying off high paid editorial employees you are hiring and paying additional employees (albeit at a lower salary). Someone smarter than I must have come up with this plan, but I'm appreciative of the consideration that I, and others, received for going away.

Now, if I were still an employee at the Flint Journal, I would call an off-site meeting with all my fellow workers, sit down and graph out exactly what everyone is making. There is no question that some people make more than others, despite doing the same work and the fact they have longer seniority, and the reason for that is as arbitrary as an editor not liking a person’s personality.

Information is power and right is right and wrong is wrong. The only way the disparity will ever by known is for everyone to share the information with each other.

Now, if some of my facts and figures are way off, please feel to contact me through my gmail account: jlsmediaservices@gmail.com and I’ll gladly make the adjustments or additions in the blog entry.

I will be updating this story as new information comes in.

Michael, Michael, Michael

Trust Davison's native son Michael Moore to step into a potentially tragic storm with a very inappropriate comment.

If he keeps this up, he's going to make it very hard to be named to the Davison Hall of Fame. Frequent freefromeditors blog visitor Kevin McKague can tell you more about this.

Do we have to play politics with everything in this country? Hurricanes and other natural disasters along with terrorist attacks should not be used for political advantage. That goes for both sides, IMHO.

Here's the link to Michael's entire comment on the Keith Olbermann (who I know is very popular with other readers of my blog, and not so much with others) show last Friday:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7lrAf_TE-1I&feature=related

Welcome Estonia!

Someone from Estonia checked in Saturday. So now we are popular in Central Europe, Eastern Europe and not Northern Europe.

Salary story to publish Monday

Although the sample is small, I feel confident that the numbers I have are very close to the current reality at the Flint Journal. I'm writing the story this weekend and will publish it on Monday - Labor Day.

Helen Dent back from the dead

This from today's Flint Journal (Page 2 corrections):

"Helen Dent still living

An article Friday about a real estate sale at the former Goodrich home of Harold and Helen Dent should have said Helen Dent is still alive, while her husband died in 1990. The article contained incorrect information."

The "incorrect" information was wording that made it sound like Mrs. Dent was dead, which she obviously is not.

Here's the link to the story, but remember it won't be there long:

http://www.mlive.com/flintjournal/index.ssf/2008/08/take_a_trip_through_flint_hist.html

Hard to know who made the error, but my wild guess is that an editor did it trying to shorten up the story. I've never had an editor kill one of my story subjects, but I have had them edit in misinformation, switched quotes and otherwise mangled a story because the editor was so much smarter and better than I.

An editor's motto should be the same as a doctor's: First, do no harm.

William T. Smith, RIP

William T. Smith, my uncle, was quite simply the funniest man in the world. That may be a bit of hyperbole, but to me he was the funniest man I ever knew.

Funnier than Bill Cosby, Jerry Seinfeld, Eddie Murphy, George Carlin, or maybe even Laurel and Hardy, although Uncle Bill would take exception to that because he thought they were the funniest men in the world.

I've never been a laugh-out-loud person. Uncle Bill could make me laugh out loud. He could have made you laugh out loud, even though most of you will have to take my word on that.

He was a prankster, a kidder, but he was a master joke teller and he had a million of them.

Uncle Bill would do anything, with some wide limits, for a laugh. I shared with my cousin Cynthia today (Cynthia is the oldest of Uncle Bill and Aunt Mona's three daughters) the story of a trip up Angeles Crest Highway in Los Angeles for a picnic at Mt. Waterman.

The two families met up at a prearranged place and my Uncle Bill stepped out of his station wagon wearing a plaid, short-sleeved shirt, stripped Bermuda shorts, mismatched socks and mismatched tennis shoes. He topped off the outrageous ensemble with the most ridiculous Panama hat you have ever seen.

It was hilarious and Uncle Bill had no inhibitions about showing up in public like that.
Tell him you thought he had beautiful teeth and he would pop out his perfect dentures and try to hand them to you.

He had a laugh that came from the bottom of the well of his spirit and tumbled out his mouth and could infect a whole room.

As a kid, I often stayed with my Uncle Bill and Aunt Mona (she passed a number of years ago) in their Los Angeles home. My parents lived in a garage apartment behind their house on Camaro Avenue. Those were some of my earliest, and favorite, memories.

He told a joke about "a beautiful suit" that simply reduced everyone to pieces when he told it. I tried to tell the joke and it fell flat. My Uncle had facial expressions and mannerisms that lit up any joke he told.

But Uncle Bill was not just a funny man. He was a kind and loving person, who cared deeply for his family and friends and let them know it. He was also a veteran of World War II.

When I went out to California last January I wanted to see Uncle Bill, but he discouraged the visit. "Better to remember me how I was," was his answer. He was sick and not up to visitors. While I was disappointed at the time, I think I get it now. He wanted me to remember the good times, the great jokes and the warm memories of love that he showed to me in those early years.
The last time I saw Uncle Bill (who early in his career was a beat reporter with one of the many Los Angeles dailies in the 1940s) he was visiting me here in Michigan during the late 1980s. He and I visited the Henry Ford Museum and Greenfield Village. On the way back to the Detroit Airport I took him to Ann Arbor to see the hospital where he was born.

Unfortunately the hospital had been razed and he was disappointed to see it was not the same as he last saw it some years ago. So maybe it was with his feelings about me visiting him. It wouldn't have been the same.

Sometime Thursday night, my cousin Cynthia is going to slip his favorite sword into his casket so it will be with him always.

The world is just a little bit more serious today, but I'll bet they are yucking it up in heaven. After all, they just took in the best joke teller of all time. At least in my humble opinion.

Rest in Peace, Uncle Bill, I'm going to have myself a really good laugh.

Love, Jim

New country checks in

On Sunday, freefromeditors received a visit from someone in the Republic of Moldova (which sounds like one of those fake countries The Three Stooges used to talk about.

But Moldova, which is next to Romania in Eastern Europe, is now the 33rd country to visit.

Welcome Moldovian!

Former Ganneters start their blog

For all you former, or current Ganneters who read this blog (and I know there are a few because you have let me know) there is a new one especially for those recently laid off:

http://gannettblog.blogspot.com/2008/08/laid-off-join-our-new-memorial-to.html

Also may I commend to your reading the Sunday entries on "Fading to Black" blog which is listed in the link list next to this entry. Lots of important and interesting newspaper news there.

Crim coverage once again superb

In addition to breaking news, the one thing the Flint Journal did very, very well from my earliest employment was the coverage of the Crim Festival of Races.

To be fair, this year was really good again. Undoubtedly part of that was due to the coverage, anchored by Bill Khan, who is a veteran reporter who knows this event inside out. It helps he is a runner as well. As always the Crim Special Section (except for the misspelled word "downton" in the caption) was a marvel in quick turnaround.

Two other contributing reporters, Dan Nilsen and Greg Tunnicliff are also veteran sports reporters who have a long history with the event. I do miss former columnist Dean Howe's (took the first buyout a couple years ago) reflections on the event. The front page color story was also well done by a veteran reporter, Sally York, and had the annual (I've done it to when I was there, so I'm not criticizing Sally) predictable story about someone who overcame great odds to compete and finish the race. It's one of those things you can't help but do each year.

So while this is a serious compliment for the coverage, it also points out the need and reason for keeping veteran staff.

Ouch! A magazine, reporter and editors completely duped

Thanks to an alert Freefromeditors reader we have this sad tale:


http://orlandomagazine.com/Editor?view=article&id=61%3Afrom-the-editor

Another one biting the dust

From a regular Freefromeditors reader this note about the Cleveland Plain Dealer:


http://blog.cleveland.com/business/2008/08/plain_dealer_offers_buyout_to.html

Blogging from Buffalo, today. Home tomorrow.