By Phil Riske, managing editor, Rose Law Group Report
And the news consumer as well.
For decades, Gannett has dominated the Phoenix market with ownership of The Arizona Republic and KPNX TV 12. Same story in 41 other major media markets. (Gannett for a time owned KTVK 3 in Phoenix before it sold to Meredith Communications.)
The recent news of the fracturing of newspaper and TV companies continuing
with the announcement Gannett will spin off its newspaper division came along side the marking of President Nixon’s resignation 40 years ago.
Over the past 40 years, the kind of journalism that took down a president has been made puny by corporate suits.
Things are going to get worse, folks.
For those who try to remain informed of what really makes the world go round instead of news that goes around reality, you are up the media creek without a paddle.
And for those reporters currently working for media moguls and for journalist- hopefuls, just listen to how Gannett, for example, views its future news priorities at five newspaper. It all sounds like some kind of weird fairyland that bound to spread across Wall Street media stocks like a fungus.
“At Gannett, we envision a world where the communities we serve are growing and thriving because of the difference we make every day. We are on a relentless quest to provide trusted news and information and to actively support the people and businesses in our local markets,” says the media King Kong’s mission statement.
See if the following washes with that statement.
First, if you’re under 25 years old and older than 45, you’re of no interest to Gannett.
Next, if you’re looking for a reporting job in Gannett, consider this from the news VP, who says Gannett will have fewer staffers overall after the reshuffling of job tiles and descriptions, Kate Marymont said. “That’s an economic reality nearly every newsroom is facing. “
I walked out on a TV job way back in the 70s when my station decided to establish its news policies based on expensive consultants.
Here’s how Gannett looks at journalistic practices and ethics.
“We’re going to use research as the guide to make decisions and not the journalist’s gut,” said Tennessean vice president and executive editor Stefanie Murray. “As reporters turn more to their readers on what to do, the traditional assignment editor is instead being morphed into roles that involve more coaching and building skills.”
Maymont said, “When we talk about the very concept of a reporter — what we are asking of a reporter — it might be things that we’ve verbally asked folks to do for years and some people have done those things and some people have not done those things, but we are asking everyone to think radically different.”
Why? Were Woodward and Bernstein out of touch? Are adult readers willing to settle for pablum?
Only the humor below — a parody on new job descriptions at Gannett by http://jimromenesko.com/ — keeps me from throwing up.
