Brutal day at 801 Texas yesterday, with more today. I confess, I don't understand how getting rid of the people who create the content helps make the product more viable going forward, but what do I know? I'm sure they have some Cunning Master Plan to make it all make sense.
Banjo and Hair Balls have the gory details. I'd like to express my sympathies and best wishes to everyone who got the axe. There's a lot of talent on that list, and it won't be easily replaced. May you all find something better.
I have to say also, as a fan of the Rice Owls, that I'm truly pissed off that the Chron has let MK Bower go. He did an outstanding job on the Rice beat, and Owl fans are showing him the love for it. With the departure of Mike Murphy and Terrance Harris, who covered UH and TSU, as well, the Chron has made it clear that if it ain't the Big XII, they won't be paying attention. Thanks a hell of a lot.
Posted by Charles Kuffner on March 25, 2009 to Other punditryI have to laugh over the focus on "watchdog reporting" because every once in awhile they do run a story that "has legs" but then of course when they find out the legs are attached to someone who can cut off their advertising, they remove the story and bury it in the archives. Or sometimes just bury it. Particularly if it isn't in the actual print edition.
It used to be called investigative reporting but the last investigative reporter the Chronicle had was James Robinson who I suspect got tired of the editors "editing" to please the "scared cows" rather than be acccused of pandering to that long-forgotten standard of journalism called Truth.
But then it's a Hearst paper so what can you expect?
Some of us aren't really into sports so we could care less about which sports reporters got the axe although honestly they are probably the only reporters who "write it like it is" and whose stories aren't edited to please a scared cow.
Quite honestly the Chronicle would not be missed and some suspect that is coming.
Sign of the times but also a reflection of how the Chronicle no longer reflects the concerns of the community apart allowing "comments" which somehow are not the same as the Chronicle just running to story.
The readers should not be providing the real story. In all too many cases, they are. Until one of the editors catches it. And then the comments get the axe.
Reality of print journalism is it is all online and the newspaper industry is dying finally. It has been terminally ill for some time. Sad but the future has a way of leaving the past behind. And the future has arrived.
Of course quite a few of the sacred cows have been left behind as well. And they are now "fair game" for the real journalists who have all moved to the internet.
Some of the newspapers will survive with online editions. Most expect the Chronicle will not be among them.
Hearst should have dumped the Chronicle and kept the Post.
But then hindsight is always better than foresight.
JHear
Posted by: Baby Snooks on March 25, 2009 10:18 PM** the Chron has made it clear that if it ain't the Big XII, **
Charles, they outsourced their Big 12 coverage to San Antonio E-N writers some time ago, so that complaint, while frequently made by people who didn't notice the outsourcing, isn't really valid.
Indeed, one rather has to question the business sense of covering A&M and UT LESS, since there is obviously an interested fan base here.
Murphy is a pretty big loss to the sports department, although Steve Campbell is solid. If they can find similarly competent writers, then the other two beats will effectively be getting a big upgrade. If they kill those beats, then obviously not.
Posted by: Kevin Whited on March 26, 2009 8:24 AM