Work from home is now the norm for five months. Some journalists who were previously accustomed to commuting to the office love this new rhythm. Others miss the office deeply and cannot wait to return. Some will soon have no choice in the matter.
Tribune (TPCO) Publishing has decided to save money by giving up its space in Newroom, Allentown, Annapolis, and Orlando. Other publishers have done the same, or are thinking about it. Television networks and other types of media companies are also expected to shrink their footprints into what the post-pandemic is “new normal”.
Flexibility and cost savings will be gained, but some things will be lost. Intangibles like camaraderie in the newsroom and a sense of place.
Tribune announcement on Wednesday was a ‘gut punch’, Stephanie Sigafoos told the Morning Call newspaper in eastern Pennsylvania.
It was “devastating,” added her colleague Jennifer Sheehan. “We’ve been part of downtown Allentown for almost a century.”
“It’s really hard working at home, but we’ve done it all to be safe, to keep our families safe and to do our jobs,” Sheehan said. “But it’s not what one of us wants. A newsroom enables reporters to dissect ideas from each other, share ideas and present a soundboard. You don’t get any of that at home working on your kitchen table.”
Finally, Sigafoos said, “It hurts to think of being a newsroom without a newsroom.” When you “take the people out of a newsroom, you take something from the soul of the paper.”
>> Among the papers influenced by the decision of Tribune: the New York Daily News. “A tabloid once famous for its huge, large city newsroom no longer has a newsroom,” wrote the New York Times’ Marc Tracy.
‘Journalism is not meant to be isolated’
Kerry Flynn writes: “It’s no surprise to see Tribune reduce costs for real estate. During the company call last week, CFO Mike Lavey said ‘reducing our footprint of real estate’ was among the priorities to ‘ourselves in the long run’. Mike Reed, Gannett’s CEO, made similar remarks in his call for revenue last week, noting that the company plans to ‘sell $ 100 million to $ 125 million in property by the end of 2021.’ And McClatchy is buying the Lexington-Herald Leader newsroom that had an interesting buyer earlier this summer. “
Flynn continues: “Papers like the Herald-Leader have a lot of unused space due to cuts, regionalization and other reasons. But these austerity decisions are disappointing for already exhausted staff of the newsrooms. In Annapolis, reporter for Capital Gazette
Olivia Sanchez tweeted, ‘This announcement drew the full light at the end of the pandemic’s tunnel. Journalism is not meant to do isolation, we are stronger when we are together and integrated into the communities we serve. We need a newsroom. ‘”
>> Flynn added: “Back in May I wrote about the pandemic that shook journalists from DC and New York City and how scattered newsrooms can be good for journalism. But journalists still thrive in physical newsrooms. For that story, the vice- Medium editorial editor Siobhan O’Connor told me, “I just love sitting in a room with other creatives who are batting ideas for storytelling. I get a lot of energy from that and we do that on Zoom and on. “The phone. I just honestly miss the IRL camaraderie.”
.
Related
