By Harold McIlvain II
Bart Pohlman knew finding a job in the journalism industry was going to be difficult.
The 2008 journalism graduate from Arkansas read stories during his senior year about The Rocky Mountain News folding and how the Seattle Post-Intelligencer went inclusively to a Web site.
Not finding a job relating to his degree was a scary thought for Pohlman.
And after not being able to find a job in the industry since he graduated, the finalization of the joint venture Sunday between Stephens Media LLC and the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Inc., is another obstacle young journalists are now facing.
“The merger demonstrates the current state of the job market: more firings, less hirings,” Pohlman said. “Here I am, seven months after graduation, and I still haven’t found a job.”
It has been a daily struggle for Pohlman to search through over thousands of jobs on Web sites, hoping for an opportunity to break into the industry.
“The sad part is that out of the over 100 jobs I’ve applied for, I've had three interviews - and two were with the same place,” Pohlman said.
The Memphis, Tenn., native said he knew it would be difficult to compete for a job - but not as difficult as it has been so far comparing resumes with veteran journalists who are, too, looking for opportunities after layoffs and mergers.
“I had no idea it’d be this absurd,” Pohlman said. “With so many newspapers and news organizations letting go of so many veterans, it’s difficult to compete.”
Columnists Nate Allen and Bob Caulde were not offered jobs back with the merged news organizations. But with more than a decade of combined experience between the writers, both were able to get job opportunities back - something Pohlman has been searching for.
“Whenever there is a job opening, the employer essentially has their pick of the cream of the crop,” Pohlman said.
But the merger and job loses were not a surprise to many writers. The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette has reduced its staff by about 10 percent over the past year because of the financial trouble the organization has faced.
Jeff Jeffus, the new president of the Northwest Arkansas Newspapers, said it was necessary for the newspapers to regroup with a new plan after the merger - which included letting people go.
“I think this is in the best interests of both companies and our readers and advertisers, too,” Jeffus said to the Associated Press. “We were both losing millions of dollars. You had to have a model that would succeed.”
After advertising revenue has dropped by 18.5 percent in the first nine months of this year, Jeffus said the company hopes the merger will bring financial stability to the Arkansas newspapers.
But staff writers who were able to keep their jobs have been advised to not talk about the merger.
“We are not suppose to talk about it,” a journalist employed by the new joint venture said. “We will pretty much lose our jobs if we talk about it.”
The Arkansas newspaper industry hasn’t been the only organization to feel the affects of a poor economy, and Pohlman knows that too well.
Editors around the nation are able to sift through resumes from top talent that have more experience than younger college graduates.
Pohlman said it’s a vicious cycle that is keeping recent graduates from moving up into upper level journalism jobs.
But Mathew Petty, a Fayetteville Alderman, said the merger could be a positive for younger journalists through independent news organizations.
While visioning the future of the Arkansas newspaper market, Petty predicated independent news providers could become a factor in the Natural State now that the decade of competing has ended for the two big newspapers in Arkansas.
“This will be the moment when independent news producers prove local commentary can be a livelihood for any dedicated writer,” Petty said. “It will be a moment that only further accelerates the growth of the independent news market, and it will scare the newspaper to death.”
Pohlman said anything - including independent opportunities - would be something that needs to happen to further the field of journalism for recent graduates.
“Someone needs to give the younger crowd a chance,” Pohlman said. “They just might have a solution to the problem facing newspapers. If you keep recycling the same grizzled veterans of the industry, you have no chance of getting up-to-date on the future of journalism.”
But for now, the search for a job is still ongoing for Pohlman and thousands of recent journalism graduates.
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The lede seems inordinately wishy washy and probably not even true. He really didn't have an opinion? Even after he was canned? He wasn't angry or scared or anything? Don't be afraid of the interesting stuff.
ReplyDelete--Sports writer Nate Allen didn’t know what to think about the newspaper merger.
Because the final draft isn't due till Thursday, use the date here:
--joint venture last Sunday.
Be specific:
"formed on the social networking site."
--formed on the Web site
What does not knowing the capabilities of Facebook have to do with his appreciation?
--Despite not knowing the full capacities of Facebook, Allen said he was appreciative of the writing opportunity he said the group helped him receive
Also, you need an M dash in that sentence, not a hyphen.
Good idea to quote from the Facebook group, but did you talk to him yourself? And if you are inserting a clarification into a quote, you use brackets, not parentheses.
--“I have never had such a following other than the last batch of bill-collectors chasing me from Roger’s Rec to the Bank of Fayetteville,” Allen said in a statement to the group. “Your sincerity even exceeded theirs. (The contract) never, ever, would have happened without you all.”
this needs a hyphen; modifier:
award winning journalist,
Is this from an interview?
--“I am still overwhelmed by it all,” Allen said. “I would imagine those at the newspapers are, too. Especially with them knowing full well I am too computer illiterate ever to have organized and engineered this since I don’t even Facebook or Twitter or can do much beyond sending e-mail.”
So, far this story is about Nate Allen, but it's supposed to be bigger than that. What happened? What about other newspaper staffers who lost their jobs?
How many? Give us the number here.
--as many were laid off.
Explain the relationship between Dem Gaz and NWA Times.
Story is meandering. Starts with Nate Allen, then goes into his unique situation regaining a job, then his lack of techno savvy, then we move into the actual merger. If the story is about reporters who've lost thier jobs, then start with an anecdote of a reporter who DIDN'T get his/her job back. Allen is the exception to your story, not the basis of it.
Is this story about what's happening in the news business write large? It keeps getting broader.
Give us a clearly state nut graf. That will help you and the readers.
Overall, this is an okay start. Keep working at it. You need more sources, more interviews, sharper anecdotes, and a much clearer angle.
ReplyDeleteI can see where you're wanting to go with the story, but like you said, you just need to refine it and get more "stuff" to liven it up.
ReplyDeleteLike Bret said, I think the lede needs work. You can do better than that.
"Pohlman said he knew it would be difficult to find a job - but not this difficult against other talented writers who have been in the industry and were laid off."
Syntax, say it more clearly.
And the story does jump around. Find a more consistent theme, angle, etc. and you'll be fine.
It's a good story, but not too sure what the angle is. you said, a bunch of interviews fell through, so i'm sure the story will develope the more information you get.
ReplyDeleteNot sure what the nut graf is?
I'm probably the wrong person to give advice, but some of the quotes seem a little long.
If this story is about the merger, then the opening anecdote should be about an affected journalist. By using Pohlman at the beginning, you're misdirecting the reader into thinking this is a story about journalism school graduates.
ReplyDeleteThis is an awkward transition, as a result:
--And after not being able to find a job in the industry since he graduated, the finalization of the joint venture Sunday between Stephens Media LLC and the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Inc., is another obstacle young journalists are now facing.
Pohlman isn't the most credible source for what the merger represents. You should have quotes from him on a personal level, not as an expert.
--“The merger demonstrates the current state of the job market: more firings, less hirings,” Pohlman said. “Here I am, seven months after graduation, and I still haven’t found a job.”
Because Pohlman has dominated this story so far, you need to transition us back to the merger at hand before this graf:
--Columnists Nate Allen and Bob Caulde were not offered jobs back with the merged news organizations.
Why not start the piece with one of them? Then use Pohlman at the bottom to illustrate how mergers/ poor economy have affected the next generation of journalists.
Oops:
--job loses
Is it ten percent of the whole staff or is it editorial staff?
Can you be more specific?
-- because of the financial trouble the organization has faced.
Did you request an interview yourself? If he declined, say so. Then you can use a quote from the Associated Press.
--I think this is in the best interests of both companies and our readers and advertisers, too,” Jeffus said to the Associated Press. “We were both losing millions of dollars. You had to have a model that would succeed.
This is fascinating. I see now why you started with Pohlman. Nevertheless, move this higher. and did anybody say why they CAN'T talk about it? If not, say so. But the topic should be explored to the best of your ability.
--“We are not suppose to talk about it,” a journalist employed by the new joint venture said. “We will pretty much lose our jobs if we talk about it.”
What about talking to someone who's already lost his/her job? There would be no repercussions for that person.
You tend to use "but" as a transition a lot. Even when it's a non sequitur and there is no contradiction.
--But the merger and job loses were not a surprise to many writers. The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette has reduced its staff by about 10 percent over the past year because of the financial trouble the organization has faced.
No caps. See AP style:
Fayetteville Alderman
Why is an alderman a source on the newspaper merger? What is the subject's credibility on this subject? Explain.
Screen your quotes. Not sure this passes as a reasonable critique -- especially when so many "grizzled veterans" are getting canned.
-- If you keep recycling the same grizzled veterans of the industry, you have no chance of getting up-to-date on the future of journalism.”
Kicker is flat. Try to relate it back to merger, which is the occasion for this story.
--But for now, the search for a job is still ongoing for Pohlman and thousands of recent journalism graduates.