There are days when the schizophrenia of the news business just overwhelms me. Those are the days when I have to watch perfectly good newspeople fret over budgets and profit margins.
In recent weeks, some budget decisions have loomed large at The Courant. I would venture that a Nov. 12 news story headlined “Newsday To Eliminate 100 Jobs” didn’t concern too many readers here. But one paragraph in that story sent ripples of angst through The Courant. Specifically: “Hartford Courant Publisher Jack Davis acknowledged that The Courant could also see layoffs as the newspaper prepares for a new fiscal year Jan. 1.”
The Courant has been eliminating jobs steadily for the past nine years, mostly through buyouts and attrition but lately through layoffs. The newsroom had escaped layoffs, although buyouts have meant dozens and dozens of departures over the years.
The thing is, some subscribers have noticed some of the consequences of downsizing. Some of those consequences have exasperated readers. And I hear from them.
Over the summer, after the introduction of a new delivery system that promised efficiencies and ended relationships with some newspaper carriers, Glastonbury readers called me to point out that their delivery person had provided them with dependable service for decades and shouldn’t be let go. Other callers, from towns such as Southington, noted that, after years of faithful door-to-door service, their newspapers were being dropped yards from their doors. Others have complained that they couldn’t find their usual edition of the newspaper at the local convenience store.
Even group tours of The Courant’s Broad Street headquarters have been affected by downsizing. Although 9/11 meant the initial suspension of tours, their continued cancellation is being attributed to staffing concerns in addition to security concerns.
But those issues are not mine to vet. Those types of complaints are directed to the customer service desk and corporate affairs. All I can do is wring my hands over one more indication of a disconnect between the newspaper and readers.
In the newsroom, complaints continue to come in from readers in towns The Courant once covered diligently but now covers sporadically because of staff reductions. And that change in the delivery system also resulted in earlier deadlines, which have left more than a few sports fans disappointed that some West Coast scores are absent from the newspaper.
As I write this column, there is a lot of speculation in the newsroom about how many will be laid off. In addition to individual concerns about the prospect of not having a job next year, there has been plenty of talk – at least in my office – about The Courant’s ability to give readers the same level of service with fewer people. I have no doubt The Courant will continue do to great journalism, but readers tell me they want it all – the great and the routine.
A business is a business. We read about job reductions every day – at Phoenix, Electric Boat, CIGNA. I know budget-conscious minds understand better than I do what it takes for the newspaper to realize the efficiencies that provide Tribune shareholders with the returns that make them happy.
But it’s during times like these – when news obligations and budgets collide – that I can’t help but wonder exactly whom the newspaper really serves. I wonder if the newspaper will continue to meet the expectations of readers and the staff, expectations of a Courant that delivers meaningful investigative stories, thoughtful reflections on our lifestyles and pastimes, and the essential reports on events that color Connecticut’s distinct communities.
The returns of journalism are far more than money. It contributes to an informed citizenry, a government that is accountable, ultimately, to a safe, uplifting and enlightened society. I don’t know how you determine the profit margins of that.
