If something bad happens to someone else, it’s a tragedy.
When it happens to you, it’s a crisis.
When it happens to a journalist, it’s news.
After the ice storm several days ago, I awoke to a cold, dark house and the dreadful fear of another widespread power outage. I called upon the skills developed during last year’s ice storm and got ready for the day. At work, I tried to dispatch reporters to cover the crisis. They just gave me “Are you crazy?” looks.
Turns out, my house was one of only 20 in the entire region to lose power.
But, let me tell you, this journalist had a lot of empathy for those 20 people.
Covering the economy this past year has also generated empathy. Every day it seems, we fill the business pages with depressing news. We have interviewed people losing their jobs, business owners closing their doors, and executives trimming their expenses.
This recession is unusual in that it seems every sector has been impacted, from factory workers to bank executives.
Newspapers are among the industries hardest hit. Some of my colleagues have had to clear out their desks and leave their jobs. Work loads have been shifted and responsibilities redefined.
It’s easy to understand why changes are necessary. A new generation doesn’t look to a daily printed newspaper for news. They turn to the Internet, where much of the news is produced by traditional print journalists, by the way.
We talk about the way gas prices have changed the way people drive and auto executives should be willing to adjust instead of whining for a bailout.
Journalists need to be the same way. We need to adapt and not cling to outdated patterns.
It’s easy to understand, but harder to accept.
This edition will be the last Sunday business section for the News-Press. The news from this section will be incorporated into the daily business section. This column will appear on Thursdays.
It’s a good business plan. But it still kind of hurts. Especially difficult is the end of the agriculture page, which I started several years ago. Most of the ag news will shift to Tuesday editions.
I’ve been part of the Sunday business section every week for the last nine years. If I’m wandering around a bit aimlessly next week, you’ll understand why. Although I doubt that will last long as the new year will hold plenty of business news.
Given this recession, the news we’ll be covering is sure to include people losing their employment and companies coping with shifting demands for their products.
We’ll report developments accurately and fairly and also with a strong sense of empathy.
