Man, times are tough. You’d think the Apocalypse has set upon newspapers. In the last year alone, my newspaper, The Spokesman-Review, has been visited by the layoff demons twice. In their wake lies a devastated a newsroom that will soon be but a shell of its former self. A parade of newsroom cakes and goodbye beer bashes will fill out my social calendar in the next few weeks. As a manager, I will find out what my own fate will be on Wednesday.
Last week was by far the hardest seven days I’ve spent in my twenty-three year journalism career. I was confused, disoriented, angry, depressed. Seven of the 21 people laid off last week were coworkers I had trained to shoot and edit video for our upcoming (now delayed) new website. They were young and talented. All understood that video was going to be an important part of our digital future. And now they will all be gone.
Maybe this was all a failed strategy on my part. I wanted nothing less than to change the culture of this newsroom. I found reporters who wanted to learn video and then I got them the gear and the training needed for them to be successful. A recent reorg of the newsroom was set to unleash all this new video storytelling potential. Then bam, in the reading of a layoff list, it was all gone.
The challenges that face every newspaper in the country are fierce. The death spiral is still in play. If we don’t stop it soon, the very foundations of a free press could crumble. That scares me even more than losing my job. We simply need to figure out a way to keep these institutions in play long enough for the economy to bounce back. I do not believe now that the Web will save newspapers. On the contrary, the Web will eventually transform them into something totally different from what we have today.
My video strategy was just a bit in front of this transformation. Most of the time I felt like the Pied Piper, blindly leading those who would follow me. My only solace was my editor-in-chief Steve Smith’s support of everything I did. His demand that the newsroom become web-centric and was inspiring. But where Steve tried to make change at a breakneck pace, I tried to use baby steps in my approach. In the end, Smith resigned because he didn’t feel he could continue to lead a newsroom devastated by such egregious cuts. What he leaves behind is a group of passionate people fearful of what lies ahead. Managing Editor Gary Graham has been named the new editor-in-chief. Graham has one hell of a job ahead of him. Still, even with all the turmoil of the last week, I remain hopeful. Hopeful I can get back to my roots of just being a storyteller. Hopeful we can all pick up the pieces of what’s left and reinvent ourselves once again into something that will resonate with readers of The Spokesman-Review and viewers of our website. Video is still a core value that I will push. This time though, I will it keep it mostly in the realm of myself and the remaining visual storytellers of the photography (visuals) department.
11 Comments
October 11, 2008 at 11:49 pm
Your story, as it unfolds, has become compulsive and inspirational reading. Throughout all this trauma, you’ve never given up and always shown hope.
I believe that you will reinvent yourself and the medium and look forward to seeing the result.
With best regards from across the pond.
October 12, 2008 at 12:03 am
Excellent post Colin.
These are very uncertain times for all involved in newspapers and media as a whole on both sides of the pond.
But self proclaimed multimedia companies will only damage themselves by wielding the axe in the way they have been.
I hope things work out well on Wednesday.
October 12, 2008 at 8:20 am
I am positive that Colin will be successful what ever happens – not so sure that the SR will be successful.
We canceled our long time subscription as of this past Friday as the content had dwindled deeply since earlier this year. Now, after 2 rounds of big staff cuts, what’s left? Well, the subscription price has remained the same as the content has been cut in half.
Of interest, I was on hold for 30 minutes calling in to cancel …
October 13, 2008 at 10:05 am
[...] Time to pick up the pieces. The Spokane Spokesman-Review may have been shattered by recent layoffs and resignations of key leaders, but the transparency continues. Colin Mulvany looks at the landscape and writes, “Still, even with all the turmoil of the last week, I remain hopeful. Hopeful I can get back to my roots of just being a storyteller. Hopeful we can all pick up the pieces of what’s left and reinvent ourselves once again into something that will resonate with readers of The Spokesman-Review and viewers of our website.” [...]
October 14, 2008 at 9:16 am
Depressing that you won’t be spreading video around the newsroom anymore! I guess it makes some sense though. The employees who remain will no doubt be saddled with increased job duties to make up for the ones who were lost. Now they really won’t have time for extra responsibilities like video.
Good luck on Wednesday!
October 15, 2008 at 8:15 am
I was just inspired by your workshop at the recent NPPA Flying Shortcourse and now this happens…it is hard to stay focused and curious. We at the Monroe Monitor are having a big meeting tomorrow about using the WEB more and working on audio slideshows and audio….I hope it works out for all of us. Thanks, Jim.
October 15, 2008 at 2:01 pm
I feel your pain. Every time I look around our newsroom I know folks feel the same way across the industry.
Many of things I used to hang my hat on: quality work, solid storytelling, don’t seem to get the same value or recognition in the newsroom.
The writers we have trained in video have moved on to different papers.
We are going on reorg two this year. Will be interested in seeing what gets rolled out on Friday.
Hang in there Colin, although, we all seem to be in the same ever shrinking boat.
October 17, 2008 at 5:23 am
I think we are all struggling with the digital future for all communication mediums. It seems we are at a bridge, companies [ news, media, commercial] seem afraid to cross this bridge, so rather than push ahead they cut behind, stalling progress as they deliberate. I had one news agency customer tell me there budget for video/creative elements has been cut by 80%.
October 19, 2008 at 10:52 am
whoa that’s sounds like real bummer
I have always dreamed of just having a team of folk who really really care about the web product.
I see time and time again multimedia leaders with big ideas of change across newsrooms not able to institute that change.
Hang in there. Next June in vegas for immersion a need for you is on me.
SG
October 21, 2008 at 5:40 am
[...] is deep in my mind as I read Colvin Mulvany’s posting: Last week was by far the hardest seven days I’ve spent in my twenty-three year [...]
February 28, 2009 at 2:52 pm
[...] If I’m going to stay sane in this job, then I’ve got to dive back in head-first. I’m not alone. This isn’t to diminish the loss of my former co-workers. I’ll notice their absent [...]