[Media] Nathan Gonzalez, a cops and courts reporter for The Salt Lake Tribune, has resigned to take a reporting job with The Arizona Republic in Phoenix.According to Tribune staff members who keep track of such comings and goings from the Gateway newsroom, Gonzalez is the 100th editorial department employee to hit the pavement since Trib editor Jay Shelledy resigned almost four years ago and moved on to oversee print, broadcast and online student media projects at Louisiana State University.
Trib staffers keep a running list of people who leave the paper, and enjoy tipping City Weekly when they add another name. One long-time staff writer told me over lunch recently that working at the newspaper for many people has just become another job. "I just go to work and do what I'm told," the staffer told me.
It's a whole new and streamlined Trib, owned by Dean Singleton's Denver-based MediaNews Group. People who move on from there are made to understand there are always replacements--typically part-timers or 30-something "interns" who don't merit insurance and other benefits or competitive salaries.
(Holly Mullen)
I'm curious:
ReplyDeleteDid you ask this Gonzales guy why he was leaving?
Did you check into what the turnover rates are at newspapers in other mid-size markets?
Did you find out the turnover rate during the former editor's rein?
Or are you just looking for a way to take another shot at your former employer?
You're amusing. Go ahead and blame the messenger; then go have a talk to the half-dozen staff members who came to me with this and similar info. Most of the complaining, I grant you, is small potatoes, arcane and not worth City Weekly's time. But now and again, the employee insights are worth mentioning to what's going on in the SLC/Utah media market on the whole, and they're worth noting. And I plan to note them when they merit attention.
ReplyDeleteI had a great run at the Tribune, I've never claimed otherwise. And then I chose to leave. And one of the reasons I like it here at CW is because we do, indeed, do media criticism.
The Tribune has become another Singleton casualty--at least in the way people are treated. Most notable are the pay cuts (or at least insignificant raises that can't hope to keep up with the cost of living) and increase in part-timers. Get defensive if you must, but those facts are indisputable. Staff cuts, slashing benefits, smaller and smaller newshole--all are Dean Singleton's trademarks--and such nefarious business practices have picked up measurably since MediaNews took over the Trib. I watched it happen in Dallas in the early '90s and I'm watching it now in my hometown.
BTW, you might want to consider signing your real name sometime when you weigh in with such a kneecapper of an opinion. Standing behind and taking credit for your opinions is good for the soul. (Holly Mullen)
not the original poster, but they asked you 3 realistic questions and you spent 3 paragraphs ignoring them...you're better than that holly.
ReplyDeleteYeah, quit dodging the questions, Holly.
ReplyDeleteI do disagree with the previous poster, though.
I'm almost sure you aren't better than that.
How 'bout you sign your names. Then we'll talk. (HM)
ReplyDeleteI sure haven't heard anybody argue that the Trib has improved under Singleton. Because it hasn't.
ReplyDeleteAs a regular reader, it seems pretty believable that he has sucked the joy out of working there.
Holly, Keep shining your light under the rocks- I love to see the roaches react!!
If you don't like anonymous posters, take the option out of your comments field and make everyone log in. Otherwise, accept the fact that in this day and age, many of us don't want personal information scattered to the winds. As long as you have a button that says "anonymous", quit bitching that people use it.
ReplyDelete