Going into my last week here at the Tennessean, I am feeling a bit in denial that I have to go back to school. Since there isn't a journalism school at University of Michigan, and because I've gained most of my experiences through internships, I feel as though my time here at The Tennessean has been really eye opening. I've learned more about the newspaper business through these past three months than I have at school, but perhaps that's just because I learn best by doing.
Last Tuesday, something happened that completely rocked our newsroom here in Nashville, as well as newsrooms across the US. Not only did Gannett split up with their print publications, but The Tennessean launched the "Newsroom of the Future" which means a complete restructuring of the newsroom structure.
That doesn't sound that terribly life shattering, however, everyone in the newsroom who currently has a job was "laid off" for all intent and purposes. Everyone has to reapply for a new job, and there is no guarantee that they will be hired again. Along with that, there are 15% less jobs overall. I've watched reporters quit, carrying boxes of their things from the newsroom, I've seen my boss editing her resume and applying for a job, I've seen the jitters my editors get before going into an interview.
Thankfully these changes won't happen until after I leave next week, but it's been extremely hard to deal with. I'm sad for my colleagues, sad for the loss that the paper will see. I've also had a huge increase in my personal work load, because no one has times to apply for jobs while their jobs are on the line.
If you want to read what one of our editors has to say about the changes, click here.
Paige, it's really awful the kind of cuts newspapers are making. Unfortunately, you may have witnessed a process that a lot of papers are likely going to go through in the coming years.
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