The Graphic Designer blog has put together an interesting Google Maps mashup tracking newspaper layoffs around the country. This is the kind of interactive graphic that news Web sites should be doing to geographically track data and make it more interesting for readers.
But let's get some perspective. While it's great that somebody is tracking newspaper layoffs, the map counts fewer than 5,000 this year, across the industry. Losing jobs is never good, especially for those who are put through the economic hardship of losing them. But to be frank, 5,000 jobs are a drop in the bucket compared to the huge layoffs that regularly course through American industry.
Airlines, automakers, retailers and others regularly--and unfortunately--lay off workers by the thousands. Most coverage of those cuts is perfunctory, at best. The numbers are dutifully chronicled, maybe a feature story is done on a couple of laid-off workers, and that's it.
Where are the journalism organizations that map those layoffs--or cover them with a fraction of the column inches, pixels or time that are slavishly devoted to newspaper layoffs? (And I won't bring up the paper that shall remain nameless that posted on its Web site a mournful gallery of photos of empty desks in its newsroom following cutbacks amounting to a couple dozen people. How self-indulgent. I'll bet that paper has never run a similar tear-jerking feature about larger layoffs at employers it covers.)
I'm not trying to belittle newspaper layoffs. All layoffs are tragic. But news organizations should strive to cover layoffs of all types with the same sort of attention to detail that they give their own cuts. That goes for general newspaper industry coverage, as well. If the problems in other industries were being given the level of detailed coverage that newspapers are giving to navel-gazing about their own problems (which, to be truthful, are on a smaller scale than the problems facing many industries), there would be a lot of interested readers. Hell, it might even protect some newspaper jobs!
On the flip side, how about covering the effects of the newspaper industry the way that newspapers cover effects of other industries?
Some questions I'd love to know the answer to:
- How many trees does it take for a year of a daily subscription to the Times?
- What is the carbon footprint of a Sunday delivery for a major metro newspaper?
- What % of newspapers are recycled?
- What % of USA Today copies are only ever seen by the delivery person and the hotel maid who throws it away? (Or hopefully recycles.)
Posted by: Rocky | June 18, 2008 at 06:04 PM
Layoffs are scary but I see a lot of high paying jobs on employment boards -
http://www.realmatch.com
http://www.monster.com
http://www.simplyhired.com
Dont dwell on the layoff or shrinking newspaper business, look to the future!
Posted by: Rachel Stanton | June 19, 2008 at 06:21 PM