Openings amongst the downsizing


The stock market is generally believed to be a leading indicator of future economic performance in a Wisdom of Crowds kind of way. Hiring is also a leading indicator of a company, industry or even region’s future economic prospects. So it would come as no surprise to hear that newspaper’s aren’t hiring and are activity downsizing, right? And that’s true. Everybody’s got the industry on the ropes. 

But the tea leaves are a little more nuanced, says Mark Glaser of MediaShift

The staffing situation at traditional media companies is much more fluid than the simple cut-and-slash horror stories that play well in the press. The dire layoff scenarios at major news organizations are not as dire in smaller rural communities, where local newspapers and TV stations still perform well, or overseas where competition, audiences and ownership structures are different than in the U.S

Smaller papers are hiring and digital staff are being fattened, according Dan Rohn, a former WashPo reporter  who runs JournalismJobs.com. And if they’re not hiring to add more resources to online, they are shifting print jobs to online, or adding additional online responsibilities to traditional print roles, Glazer notes.

Are newsroom shrinking? Undoubtedly. But the hiring is pointing to a remolding of editorial staffs as smaller and more digitally oriented organizations.

.Updated: Dan Gillmor says There’s never been a better time to be a media entrepreneur.

 

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