Editorial: 99 Problems And Print Ain’t One
Believe it or not, we here at Philebrity have a pretty heavy heart about the Inquirer/DN’s looming strike, and before the strike news cycle whips out from under us, we figured now would be as good a time as any to let you know the prism from which we’ll be viewing the strike.
In short, we think the Guild is about to fuck itself royally, and it probably will not ever recover; like so many things over on Broad Street, it feels like the end of the beginning of the end.
At issue in the strike, of course, are two large, looming issues: One concerns union contract negotiations, and another is the overall tone of doom in the newspaper business in general.
After the jump, we finally get off the fence.
First, let’s talk about the union stuff: A lot of it is archaic. And most of it was hard-won in the first place. But over and again, the rank and file at the Inky/Daily News are refusing to live in the modern, post-union world that most of our readers know all too well. It’s not that writers, editors ‚Äî hell, everyone ‚Äî deserve things like frozen pensions and layoffs not directed by seniority, it’s just that, well, hey buddy: Welcome to the club. Things are tough all over. Coming from a (for the most part younger) generation of freelancers who’ve struggled for years just to get anything like health insurance or a steady pay, it’s been hard for us to look at any present-day newspaper contract negotiations and not think, “I wish I had those problems.” Now, for the first time in memory, we can actually say, “Jesus, I’m glad I don’t.”
Which brings us to the question of the withering newspaper culture altogether. Back during the lovefest that accompanied the sale of PNI, there was much rhetoric about change. But let’s face facts: The Guild doesn’t want any of the change that Tierney’s regime are going to be offering, because the bulk of that “change” will be in the form of layoffs. But even in the bigger picture ‚Äî that theoretical, ever-elusive realm of what a viable newspaper business model actually looks like in 2006 ‚Äî Inky rank and file seems to bristle at the idea that not only is the future online, but so too is the present. It’s far later than everybody thinks. There’s a general lack of pragmatism here, and its presence at this late stage in the game mystifies us.
As far as our perspective as Inky and DN readers, the news is even less good. For as long as we can remember, we’ve been wishing for someone to take a wrecking ball to the core of the Inquirer. And the prospect of 150 layoffs is frankly the best news we’ve heard in a while. If the Inky is bloated and slow-acting now, a leaner model, with a sharper focus on local issues could be just the thing. Right now, the Inky has a feeling of state-run malaise about it. It’s not a new feeling. And it needs to go. As for the Daily News, it’s fine. It does everything it should. And day in, day out, it reflects the spirit of the city so much more than the Inky that it’s frankly embarrassing. We worry about what may become of DN strikers in a lasting strike, which if nothing else, is a testament to the paper’s draw and its voice. (Tierney, whatever you do, don’t fuck the Daily News over. You’ll never hear the end of it if you do. In the war of perception, however, you could probably do whatever the hell you wanted to the Inquirer and still come out a hero; after all, even saving one life from the Titanic still makes you a life-saver.)
But we have to say, at the same time, we’re morbidly curious about what a scab-run Inky would look like; if anything, it will definitely be the freshest the paper’s been in years.
Right now, Inky staffers are panicked. If it’s not about the strike, it’s about the layoffs that are sure to follow. Already, writers and editors are telling PR folks with stories to pitch not to bother; by the end of the week, they’ll be on strike. It’s hard to look someone who’s that panicked and despairing in the eye and tell them to suck it up, but that’s essentially what we’re doing, because it’s also impossible to to get your news from the panicked and the despairing. The only story they have to tell is their own. While everyone on the current Inky staff in particular may have not planted the seeds for its own doom, the fact is, you all have watered that plant, day in, day out. And at this point, you’re either part of the solution or you’re part of the problem. And right now, protecting one’s own parachute is definitely the latter: Don’t you guys know that you’ve already slammed into the ground?
November 28th, 2006 at 2:06 pm
Just some casual observations from someone not in the business: Agree with everything you said about the Daily News. As for the Inquirer? Don’t know, never buy it, hardly read it. So, I guess you’re right there, too.
But I take exception to condemning Guild workers for “refusing to live in the modern, post-union world that most of our readers know all too well.” I live in that world, but I’m glad some others still refuse. If by joining together workers in any trade (even drunken, ink-stained wretches) get more consideration from bosses than I do, that’s great. Even the most basic protections in the workplace have come only at the cost of union sacrifices.
Shit, sorry, thought this was the Workers World Daily site. Carry on.
November 28th, 2006 at 3:14 pm
I say I must agree. The Inky has totally screwed itself for years, focusing less on the city and more on the surrounding suburbs. As a result, less people who actually live in Philly are reading the paper. At the same time, people in the suburbs are getting more and more high tech, choosing to leave behind print and get their news from the internet or on their Sidekick or whatever they want — they can afford it.
What has the Inquirer done to counteract this trend? They just opened a news bureau in West Chester. That’ll work. I speak as someone who has spent time in the newsroom at the Inky, and I must say that they see themselves as above it all. Newsflash: The Inky is not the paper of record. That slot has been filled by the New York Times long ago, and that ain’t changing. And filling your front section with AP wire stories isn’t going to make you the paper of record. Meanwhile, the Inky has too much dignity to stoop to the level of the Daily News. Well guess what? The Inky writers should have been aping the DN long ago instead of sitting on their asses, content to churn out 2 or 3 articles every couple of weeks about God knows what, swilling whiskey from a flask and pretending like nobody notices (I sure as hell noticed). Now you’re facing layoffs because you refuse to budge on fucking holiday pay or whatever. It’s like you’re polishing the furniture on the Titanic.
And speaking as a freelance writer who is scraping by with erratic paychecks and no insurance to speak of, I just have to say that you idiots don’t know how good you have it. But I guess in a few days, you’ll realize. Tierney and his ilk know that they don’t necessarily need you to put out a paper, and they’re willing to prove it I bet. He’s a Catholic Republican, he’d rather go down in a blaze of glory than give you an inch to work with. I’d gladly take your job with no sick leave or holiday pay or whatever bullshit you’re quibbling over. And I’d sure as hell write more than one article every 3 weeks.
November 28th, 2006 at 3:33 pm
mike i guess you will be content with a life of inadequate insurance, no pay for sick days and overwork writing god knows what, because the assignment come from dull editors. the union has nothing to do with how many bylines writers have per week and you know that. it’s also absurd to present this pulp fiction view of the “old newsroom” with the alky in the corner.. give me a break. get rid of all those who fit your description and Tierney will still have to fire 150 people to meet his quota of 150. i hope all your thinking\writing isn’t as hackneyed and illogical. people aren’t facing layoffs because they refuse to budge on holiday pay, they are facing layoffs because Tierney paid too much for the paper!.
November 28th, 2006 at 5:51 pm
This is truly sad and frustrating. It is hard to see such an institution as The Inquirer and The Daily News faltering. We need newspapers. We need the opinions, news, and voices that newspapers provide to inform our public. If we don’t have an informed public, what kind of city is that? Newspapers champion the arts. They give a voice to people who would not have one otherwise. They influence public opinion. They allow for debate as well as provide a suggestion on where to eat on a Friday night. In my (extremely biased) opinion, newspapers are a beautiful thing. I love them.
For most, working at a newspaper is a labor of love. Journalists and editors work weekends and nights. We work on Thanksgiving and Christmas. And it’s not like we are ever going to become fantastically rich while doing so.
For full disclosure, I am the arts and entertainment editor of Metro here in Philadelphia. I am also a fourth generation newspaper person. I remember when my father was forced to sell our family’s newspaper because it became impossible to put out an independent newspaper any longer–we had to sell to a corporation. That was not a necessarily a bad thing as it allowed for a family dinner without my dad listening to the police scanner and it gave the paper the staff and technology to make it relevant.
And that is the number one thing for a newspaper to have: Relevance. Does the Inky have that any longer? I’m not so sure. And, yes, Metro is Metro. We are a quick read. We use wire copy for our global news. We probably aren’t going to win a Pulitzer any time soon. But if you read the “new” us, you will see that we devote a heck of a lot of editorial space to things that are going on in the city. To young Philadelphians doing pretty incredible things. To independent bands and artists and chefs and boutiques and theater in a voice and writing style that our public can understand and digest. And no, this isn’t a debate about Metro vs. the Inky because that comparison wouldn’t even make sense. And no, I don’t want to hear jokes about Metro being only for homeless people to sleep on because, frankly, that joke is old and you are extremely uninformed if you are making it. The point I am trying to make is that if our paper can do this every day with a full time editorial staff of seven, it boggles the mind to think what the Inky could produce with their staff of hundreds.
So why aren’t they doing just that?
To add yet another ship metaphor, everyone in “traditional” publishing is in the midst of trying to turn this gigantic freighter around. It’s going to take time and effort–more than usual. But won’t it be interesting to see what will happen when we do? And isn’t it a great thing to have newspapers–as well as all other media–around to let us know how it is all going down?
November 29th, 2006 at 2:05 pm
Dorothy - you certainly won’t hear me knocking the Metro; it’s the only hard-copy paper I read in Philadelphia. And that’s because it’s free and I get bored on SEPTA. I get the rest of my news and information online, every day, and that includes the Inky, as in philly.com.
Sure we need newspapers, but do we need them in print? I haven’t bought one in the two years I’ve lived in Philadelphia and I am quite aware of what’s going on in the city.