Fear and loathing at the AJC
April 13, 2007 at 4:07 pm by Scott Freeman in NewsThe now-infamous “Names in boxes” memo at the AJC came out Thursday and, in the words of one staffer, it so emotionally devastated the newsroom that it’s a miracle an edition of the paper was printed that evening.
Essentially, the memo lays out which jobs are going to be kept under the paper’s re-structuring. More importantly, it also conveys which jobs aren’t going to be kept. About half the staff had their names “in the box.” The rest are going to have to apply for new jobs within the newsroom and the fear is, of course, that if you don’t receive a job, you’ll be fired.
Staffers and former staffers say it was like being hit by a “shock and awe” mission. One person e-mailed: “I had a friend that gathered a bunch of ppl and they all drank in her apartment, versus going to [a] 6pm meeting to “explain” the changes. No one that I know felt like feeling the sting further – they wanted to drink it off. “
Another e-mailed: “Got lots of depressed drunken txts from colleagues last night. It’s really awful in the newsroom this week.”
The word is the AJC will now depend on wire services for the bulk of its movie reviews (you prefer Curt Holman and Felicia Feaster anyway, right?) and will retain the services of just one music writer. The health/science coverage will be cut back to one reporter.
Here’s what we’re hearing in terms of the breakdown on some of the jobs that will be kept and those that won’t:
The metro and sports departments are largely intact. So is design and photo. However, the paper will no longer have a NASCAR reporter or a golf writer. The theory is that despite the Masters and the PGA’s THE TOUR Championship at East Lake, plus the two NASCAR races here, there isn’t enough news on those beats to justify having reporters assigned to them.
The science/medicine team will be disbanded and one reporting position will now cover that beat. From that team, Mike Toner, the only AJC reporter with a Pulitzer on his mantle, took the buyout. Gayle White, Alison Young, Bill Hendrick and Andy Miller could all compete for that beat.
Ironically, Young’s last story on the CDC, published last week, was about how the agency hired ombudsmen “to address poor employee morale, complaints about a massive reorganization and an exodus of key staff that sparked concern among members of Congress and five former CDC directors.”
The paper’s features and business departments will be most affected by the re-organization and, in the words of one staffer, will be playing 52-card pick-up for jobs. For example, there will be only one music writer when the dust settles. The two writers currently on the music beat, Sonia Murray and Nick Marino, will apparently compete for that one job.
The movie section comes out even worse. The paper’s highly respected lead critic, Eleanor Ringel Gillespie, took the buyout. The plan now is to rely primarily on wire services for movie reviews with remaining critic Bob Longino filling in the gaps. Steve Murray must apply for another position.
The Peach Buzz’s Rich Eldridge is safe. However, his cohorts Rodney Ho (who covers radio) and Jill Vejnoska (who covers television) must compete for a single job. Two reporters with very specialized beats are also without set jobs: Cathy Fox, who covers visual arts, and Pierre Ruhe, who covers classical music.
Others now without a set job include business writers Tammy Joyner, Mike Kanell and Carrie Teegardin.
Word is there was much angst in the newsroom when the list was handed out: reporters hunting down senior editors to yell at them, others finding a corner in which to go and cry.
The turmoil will continue for at least six more weeks. The job re-application process isn’t over until June 1.
April 14th, 2007 at 4:41 am
One person e-mailed: “I had a friend that gathered a bunch of ppl and they all drank in her apartment, versus going to [a] 6pm meeting to “explain†the changes. No one that I know felt like feeling the sting further – they wanted to drink it off. “
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Well with such proffesionalism I’m really shocked that these hard working, intelligent, mature folks have lost their jobs. Now I’m just going to patiently wait for the other half to end up in the government cheese line and the AJC to go the way of the dodo bird, just like the communism it pushes.
April 14th, 2007 at 8:52 pm
God, does he ever just SHUT THE FUCK UP? As if a freakin’ megaphone the size of Anne Cox Chambers’ girdle doesn’t produce enough flyaway spittle to grease his fat ass with 24/7???
Go away, Neal. Get lost. Get outtta this thread. You’re truly the biggest hate-monkey to ever walk the planet. If you had one single real friend at the AJC, not just sycophants and yummy yummy butt-smackers, you’d reserve your snark for appropriate times, like church or something.
I know you hear the screaming of little Imus lambs in your sleep at night now. And it will never let up. Your time is coming. Like, totally. Trust me.
April 15th, 2007 at 2:38 am
What’s up your snuke Spacey? That was one pathetic death threat on your part. Unfortunately, the AJC does need to go because it’s a piece of shit communist and its employees are dumber than dirt. Drinking and crying? What a bunch of pansies.
And Spacey, hon, you look frumpy. I suggest a burka.
April 15th, 2007 at 10:09 am
Darlene hon… shut up and blog. Burkas can be kinda scratchy, partcularly in July. But even I keep one in the trunk of my car for my more nefarious work.
April 15th, 2007 at 4:17 pm
Well Spacey, first of all my name isnt Neal.
Second of all, you would never talk like that to my face, I promise you that.
Third, the AJC is getting off easy as I see it, since what the AJC really deserves is to have a hijacked jetliner rammed into it…but then again why would muslims attack one of their biggest supporters.
April 15th, 2007 at 6:50 pm
Scott: You have done a great job covering a sad situation. Keep up the good work.
April 15th, 2007 at 8:18 pm
NRB… then what IS your name? Nothing worse than an annonymous cowardly commenteer, with no blog even. And trust me, I wouldn’t waste precious time talking to you in person. In fact, I’m already wishing I had the 15 seconds back I just pissed away here.
Gotta run. New burka shipment just arrived! Oh, they are sooo precious. Pink ones and lilac and leopard prints and like totally everything!
Have the lambs stopped screaming yet, NRB hon?
April 15th, 2007 at 8:55 pm
NRB… I feel just a teensy eensy bit bad, as if you’re not Neal, then well… I kinda sorta apologize for screaming at you. Had you been a little more forthcoming with name, info, general transparency, as that’s what’ll earn those (much needed on your part) street creds in the blogosphere, not just firing-off silly air kiss cliches, ’cause any hate-monkey with a laptop can do that as I’m sure you’re aware of, I’d have just politely asked you to f-off in lower case.
Heck, even I sometimes regresss and fire-off cliched missiles without the proper research. It can happen to the best of the blogorati, but at least I do it with a link back to the real deal.
Sometimes Real Neal’s been known to comment hither and yon, so I just like to be on the lookout, but tossing out the grade school “communism” cliche is beyond even him. That kinda baby talk is sooooo last century talk radio. Even cave men progress over the course of a few decades or so.
I should’ve known better. My bad. I’ll administer approproate punishment to self: Lose two streed creds. Go back to moderated Salon.com discussion board for 24 hours or something.
I know you can do better next time too, NRB. You just gotta train a little harder. This is a terrific starter blog for you amateurs. Stick with it.
Best to you!
April 16th, 2007 at 4:26 am
The ‘blogosphere’ can kiss my ass. I dont actually care about ‘blogs’. Talk about last century. My neighbors cat even has a blog..so what. At least the cat probably has more sense than Sugg. The fact remains that the AJC is indeed filled with leftist communists, and all of your snarky retorts dont change that fact, ya nappy headed ho’.
Love,
NRB.
April 16th, 2007 at 11:31 am
Grayson, don’t engage the fools. They quiver in fear behind their anonymity. It’s likely a sign of deep mental problems that someone has to repeatedly vent such hatred, but is too cowardly to reveal who they are. Ignore them.
J
April 16th, 2007 at 11:39 am
Or as the kids say, ‘”don’t feed the trolls”.
April 16th, 2007 at 1:03 pm
Yeah, NRB, anonymous commenters are two-bit chicken-shit assholes! You liberals are all alike!
April 17th, 2007 at 8:48 am
Oh I bet, say, Imus cares about the blogosphere… now. They’re the ones who wouldn’t let it go.
And guys, while I do so very much appreciate all the no doubt wise and pithy advice here, I’ve been feeding mean ‘ole ugly trolls since the day I was born. This is a cute little piece ‘o fluff compared to what I usually tussle with. Pretty pedestrian, and boring me to tears by now.
Thanks, but as Amber would say, I can handle myself. Who do you think told all those bizzare psycho fairy tales over the years? It wasn’t the Grimm Brothers. They were only the scribes. It was the women who told, and passed down, all that pyscho strangeness… we’ve dealt with it too, since time began.
April 18th, 2007 at 4:21 am
Speaking of boring and pedestrian, I perused your blog and nearly fell asleep. Just another drive by snoring on the information superhighway, there Spacey.
But at least it lets you get out that pent up estrogen and provides an outlet for your feminazi tirades. Now get in the kitchen and make me dinner.