Buy yourself a news team - Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community

flamingdog · 12-09-2005, 09:34 AM

Quote:

Journalists for sale on eBay

Make a bid

Jason Deans, broadcasting editor
Friday December 9, 2005

The editorial staff of the Western Daily Press are offering the services of journalists about to be made redundant by owner Northcliffe up for auction on eBay.

Staff are facing the loss of a fifth of their number - around 36 posts - and are offering eBay bidders "one entire multi award winning regional newspaper team".

By 4pm today the online auction had attracted 14 bidders and the price offered for the Western Daily Press journalists had reached £22.

As well as facing redundancies, journalists on the Bristol-based title are also among those facing a change of ownership, with Daily Mail & General Trust putting its Northcliffe regional newspaper subsidiary up for sale last week.

The eBay entry by Western Daily Press staff states: "We are a talented and dedicated staff and wish to continue working together producing great newspapers. The winner of this auction, subject to our terms below, will have won the right to employ every redundant member of staff to produce the newspaper of your choice.

"This could be the start of your media empire. You are bidding for reporters, photographers, sub-editors, feature writers, sports journalists, page designers, news editors, picture editors, graphic artists - all of the highest pedigree."

The eBay auction is offering the services of every Western Daily Press journalist made redundant by Northcliffe over the next two months.

However, the winning bidder "must agree to employ us at the same salary, job title, benefits and working conditions as we enjoy now without requiring us to relocate out of the south west".

Crazy business... in all seriousness though, I really hope they manage to keep their jobs. My experience, though, has been that Northcliffe are pretty unscrupulous in their dealings with their reporters. They seem to have a terrible reputation in terms of the amount they pay their journalists (ie, around £10,000pa for a rookie, rising to approximately £14,000 at the end of the two-year training period), and this in an industry which is notorious for crappy wages.

It's always been my perception that people assume journalists earn a fortune...

maleficent · 12-09-2005, 10:08 AM

Sounds like Northcliffe is a lot like Gannett

Ustwo · 12-09-2005, 10:45 AM

If they had usefull skills, like say landscaping, I might be interested in buying them.

StanT · 12-09-2005, 11:01 AM

I could use someone to proofread my posts, but £22 is more than it's worth to me.

flamingdog · 12-09-2005, 11:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ustwo

If they had usefull skills, like say landscaping, I might be interested in buying them.

Just to clarify... journalism is not a useful skill?

Ustwo · 12-09-2005, 12:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by flamingdog

Just to clarify... journalism is not a useful skill?

Apparently not very useful, after all they are being auctioned off because no one else wants them.

maleficent · 12-09-2005, 12:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by StanT

I could use someone to proofread my posts, but £22 is more than it's worth to me.

it's 22 pounds PLUS their current salary...

and you'd probably have to pay 'em benefits too..

slant · 12-09-2005, 02:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by flamingdog

Just to clarify... journalism is not a useful skill?

well, it depends on who's doing the journalin'. i'd say most journalists these days prove themselves quite the opposite of useful.

alpha phi · 12-09-2005, 04:32 PM

I saw an interview of Bill Moyers
(formerly of PBS NOW)
When asked why the media is no longer
doing hardcore investigative journalism.
One of the reasons is exactly this...
Journalism is not profitable,
Entertainment is.....
Major media outlets are downsizing News departmentments.
And movings resources to profitable enterprises.
If this crew wants a job
They will need to sell out and, flaunt "fluff" as news
or take a pay cut. sadly

Ustwo · 12-09-2005, 05:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by alpha phi

If this crew wants a job
They will need to sell out and, flaunt "fluff" as news
or take a pay cut. sadly

How do you know they are not already a fluff news unit?

alpha phi · 12-09-2005, 06:00 PM

You could be right

Did you see the picture on ebay?
They are demonstrating their loyality to
their paper by protesting job cuts

the owner of the paper is cutting jobs....or.....

the bid is up to £34

flamingdog · 12-09-2005, 09:05 PM

It's not the paper that's cutting them loose though, it's the publisher, Northcliffe. It's a large media company that owns a big portfolio of regional news titles all across the UK. That's who they're protesting.

And, Ustwo, the Western Daily Press is a very reputable regional newspaper. These aren't 'fluff' reporters, they're seasoned, skilled, senior staff members.

The fact is that newspapers are in a downward spiral. Not sure if it's the case in the states, but here average circulations are dropping. That's why we're seeing national newspapers trying to pull readers in by giving away free DVDs every week. News just doesn't pull people in anymore. Editorial is not the core of a newspaper's business, despite it being called a 'news'-paper. I'd be surprised if their ad sales reps have had their jobs under threat.

Ustwo · 12-09-2005, 09:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by flamingdog

And, Ustwo, the Western Daily Press is a very reputable regional newspaper. These aren't 'fluff' reporters, they're seasoned, skilled, senior staff members.

If they can't shovel snow, they are no good to me.

shakran · 12-10-2005, 08:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by flamingdog

And, Ustwo, the Western Daily Press is a very reputable regional newspaper. These aren't 'fluff' reporters, they're seasoned, skilled, senior staff members.

There's no point in debating with Ustwo. He's got preconceived opinions about everything, just about all of those opinions are wrong, but no amount of logic is going to convince him of it.

I do enjoy the fact, however, that so many in this thread are disparaging the journalists when 1) it's journalism that maintains a free country, and 2) it's not the journalists making the fluff news decisions, it's the corporate parents of the media outlets. And the fact that corporations are allowed to own so many media outlets can be traced to deregulation, which was Reagan's baby. So, Ustwo, if you really don't like the state of journalism in this country you can thank Reagan for being a big contributor to the problem.

Ustwo · 12-10-2005, 01:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by shakran

There's no point in debating with Ustwo. He's got preconceived opinions about everything, just about all of those opinions are wrong, but no amount of logic is going to convince him of it.

I do enjoy the fact, however, that so many in this thread are disparaging the journalists when 1) it's journalism that maintains a free country, and 2) it's not the journalists making the fluff news decisions, it's the corporate parents of the media outlets. And the fact that corporations are allowed to own so many media outlets can be traced to deregulation, which was Reagan's baby. So, Ustwo, if you really don't like the state of journalism in this country you can thank Reagan for being a big contributor to the problem.

Ummmm you know, speaking of logic, where did I disparage journalists in any of the above or did you use your preconceptions to decide my point of view?

Perhaps you need some basic reading comprehension primers before going off on a political tangent that does not need to exist in this thread.

12-09-2005, 10:08 AM	#2 (permalink)
maleficent Junkie Moderator Emeritus Location: Chicago	Sounds like Northcliffe is a lot like Gannett __________________ Free your heart from hatred. Free your mind from worries. Live simply. Give more. Expect less.

12-09-2005, 10:45 AM	#3 (permalink)
Ustwo Pissing in the cornflakes	If they had usefull skills, like say landscaping, I might be interested in buying them. __________________ Agents of the enemies who hold office in our own government, who attempt to eliminate our "freedoms" and our "right to know" are posting among us, I fear.....on this very forum. - host Obama - Know a Man by the friends he keeps.

12-09-2005, 04:32 PM	#9 (permalink)
alpha phi seeker Location: home	I saw an interview of Bill Moyers (formerly of PBS NOW) When asked why the media is no longer doing hardcore investigative journalism. One of the reasons is exactly this... Journalism is not profitable, Entertainment is..... Major media outlets are downsizing News departmentments. And movings resources to profitable enterprises. If this crew wants a job They will need to sell out and, flaunt "fluff" as news or take a pay cut. sadly __________________ All ideas in this communication are sole property of the voices in my head. (C) 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 "The Voices" (TM). All rights reserved.

12-09-2005, 06:00 PM	#11 (permalink)
alpha phi seeker Location: home	You could be right Did you see the picture on ebay? They are demonstrating their loyality to their paper by protesting job cuts the owner of the paper is cutting jobs....or..... the bid is up to £34 __________________ All ideas in this communication are sole property of the voices in my head. (C) 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 "The Voices" (TM). All rights reserved.

12-09-2005, 11:01 AM	#4 (permalink)
StanT © Location: Colorado	I could use someone to proofread my posts, but £22 is more than it's worth to me.

12-09-2005, 09:05 PM	#12 (permalink)
flamingdog Still fighting it.	It's not the paper that's cutting them loose though, it's the publisher, Northcliffe. It's a large media company that owns a big portfolio of regional news titles all across the UK. That's who they're protesting. And, Ustwo, the Western Daily Press is a very reputable regional newspaper. These aren't 'fluff' reporters, they're seasoned, skilled, senior staff members. The fact is that newspapers are in a downward spiral. Not sure if it's the case in the states, but here average circulations are dropping. That's why we're seeing national newspapers trying to pull readers in by giving away free DVDs every week. News just doesn't pull people in anymore. Editorial is not the core of a newspaper's business, despite it being called a 'news'-paper. I'd be surprised if their ad sales reps have had their jobs under threat.