Within the next two weeks, the layoffs will be completed. The Rock seeks your input on how to handle this day and the aftermath.
During the buyouts, we counted newsroom losses by department. We listed departing colleagues' names only after they e-mailed or were identified publicly by managers. We also offered them the use of this blog to share their contact information or farewells.
We believe this balanced colleagues' right to privacy with staff members' hunger for information. We are open to better ideas.
You may share suggestions by leaving a comment or e-mailing therockoftruth@gmail.com.
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A blog for The People of the Dallas Morning News to share information about a career-altering event that they had no control to stop.
Management wants to trim roughly 20-30 jobs through attrition by next June. What are the chances?
Why are we here?
Because it is honorable to recognize the individuals who toiled in the fields, doing their part to make the Dallas Morning News as good a product as it could be. But due to financial forces beyond their control, they were made a "voluntary severance offer." Had that been in copy, an editor would have changed that to read "buyout."
Continue reading.
Buyout class of '08
- Abrams, Kerri: page designer/F!D Luxe and Looks, news art
- Anderson, Karin Shaw: reporter, metro
- Beauchamp, Jenni: news assistant, metro
- Becker, Stephen: assistant editor, arts
- Black, James: graphics editor, news art
- Daniel, Mike: writer/copy editor, arts
- Dugger, Jason: design editor/sports, news art
- Dunklin, Mary: Healthy Living editor, lifestyles
- Eckberg, Jon: paginator/copy editor, sports
- Fox, Laurie: reporter, metro
- Hawkins, Amy: office manager, state
- Jau, Mei-Chun: senior video producer/editor.
- Kelly, Terry: senior assistant news editor, news desk
- Leeson, David: photographer, videographer
- Marta, Suzanne: reporter, business
- McLemore, David: reporter, state
- Miller, Jeff: assistant editor, sports
- Moore, Joel: page designer/copy editor, sports
- Pinson, Travis: copy editor/paginator, Quick
- Pruitt, Richard Michael: photographer, photo
- Schlegel, Erich: photographer, Austin bureau.
- Velez, Chris: paginator/copy editor, Quick
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E-mail us
- therockoftruth@gmail.com
- (Sharing reliable information keeps everyone informed during this time of uncertainty. The Rock will not release your name or job title, or quote directly from your e-mail unless you give permission first. This applies to tenured managers, new employees and part-time clerks alike.)
8 comments:
Take this to the bank:
1)There will be no information provided by management. They will not release ANY names or numbers. Perhaps Mr. Moroney will send an email of "let's not dwell on the past" after everyone is axed.
2)There will be swarms of rumors floating through the building about who has been laid off. Do yourself a favor and take nothing at face value. People were hurt in 2004 by having their names added to lists of layoffees that turned out to be wrong.
3) Because people who get laid off will no longer have access to their office computers or email, they will not be able to advise anyone of their fate. They will also not be able to say goodbye via email, as the buyout-takers were allowed to do.
4) People who get laid off may not be in much of a mood to have it known that they were laid off. Not that they have anything to be embarrassed about. But this is a blow to self-esteem, no matter how much you have. Give them a break and let them do what they want to do about putting their names out. Those closest to them will know. For others, its just curiousity. We will all know in due time.
How 'bout a rousing camp song?
FrontBurner is already saturated with formerly laid off DMN employees falling over one another trying to impress Wick enough to land another job they can consider legitimately journalistic rather than embarassingly clerical.
If you're not already a hot young ingenue, or at least able to fake it online, or already in a sexual relationship with one already established there, don't waste your time hanging out there dropping personal names or references like "Old Monk" or any other credential crumbs in a vain attempt to appear journalistically relevant. You'll only look as pathetic as the those other regular groupies there every day willing to do any doggy trick in the book for the chance at a back stage pass to the big show. Better to strike out on your own and never look back rather than to be one of those hopeless pretenders we all love reading and laughing at every day.
Reports from Providence are that laid-off employees felt blindsided. Management there had indicated that a lower number would be cut and certain positions would be safe. That was not the case ultimately. Those who remained employed felt anger was directed unfairly at them. The atmosphere is said to be poisonous.
Because of that, we want to operate with sensitivity when the day comes in Dallas.
Earth to TheRockofTruth:
You will not be in control of the workplace atmosphere on layoff day. Yes, you can be kind to people you're around, but thanks to management, the day is sure to be ugly. People will be upset. Tears will be shed. Mean words may be uttered. Got news for you, it's already begun. Managers have been trying for weeks to shift cuts off on the staffs of other managers. People are being shredded in the process.
If you want to give up your anonymity - and I don't advise it - you could approach people in each department to act as reporters for you on layoff day. Honestly, I don't know why you would want to publicize the names of those laid off unless they were an especially big name.
Want a positive idea?
How about praising people while they are still at the DMN? True, you don't know who is going to be let go, but why let that stop you? Give the people who are about to be shown the door reasons to be proud of themselves. Talk about the hurdles they have overcome the past few years. Talk about the dedication to craft they have embodied. Talk about how much we mean to each other as friends and fellow professionals. No need to go all Norman Vincent Peale with the positivity, but no one else is going to do this. We are supposed to be story-tellers. Tell some.
Wow - I had no idea that there were so many commenters on FB wanting jobs. It's always seemed like a conversation, more than anything else.
I also had no idea that merely commenting on a blog populated by many of your friends could make you a groupie.
Is it also true of commenting on Unfair Park, or any one of the numerous DMN blogs? I need to know the etiquette!
I agree with those who think names and numbers only embarrass those who have gotten fired. You'll know what your department has been reduced to, and that's probably enough.
This has been a great site to find out information Belo wants hidden from those trying to save it, but once it happens, I can only see bad things coming from a list of those who got cut. They will be devastated, and it's not like those few people left at the DMN have anything to gain from it but gossip to help them forget about their own doomed futures here.
Please go back to FB Bethany.
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