Slash-and-burn at the Virginian-Pilot
By JR Hoeft | Friday, November 21st, 2008 | Catch-AllWell, we knew it was coming.
Early this year, I spoke with several reporters at the Virginian-Pilot who told me that there was a good chance there would be layoffs. Now, it’s here.
According to John-Henry Doucette, a former columnist with the Pilot, on his MySpace account, the layoffs have started and so have the “retirements”, which includes Dennis Hartig, the editorial page editor.
The complete list of names is being announced to the newsroom today.
As the only print paper serving southern Hampton Roads, this is likely to have an impact on how the public continues to get its news…and is yet another indication of print medias struggles.
Tags:
Contribute for Conservatism!
Share this post
About the author
Conservative to the core; liberal with his opinion! J.R. has been involved in politics for over a decade and has worked on several campaigns in Hampton Roads. He has served on the Executive Committee of the Republican Party of Chesapeake and the Central Committee of the Republican Party of Virginia. He is also the director of “Blogs United” in Virginia. E-mail J.R.. Follow J.R. on Twitter.
Comments
One Response to "Slash-and-burn at the Virginian-Pilot"
The Virginian-Pilot has no one to blame but itself. It has always been a liberal newspaper in a military town, and the military isn’t known for having San Francisco values. It had a monopoly on news, though, which enabled it to survive.
Those times are gone. The VP’s conduct in the month prior to the election caused me to end my 34 year subscription. I don’t mind it reporting from a liberal slant, because I can think for myself. But its active support of the Democratic Party caused an ethical dilemma for me. The fact was driven home to me personally that my subscription was being used to support a party that does not share or respect my values.
Now, I have optional news sources on the Internet. The VP no longer has a monopolistic hold over its readership, and will therefore never get another dime from me.
Leave your response
The comments section is for meaningful discussion. Readers are reminded to post comments that are germane to the article and write in a common language that steers clear of personal attacks and/or vulgarities.
Please take a moment to review our comment policy.