On Newspapers: How long do we have?

Last week was a great example of why I hope to eventually get out of the newspaper business and into a different form of writing.

It’s not that I don’t enjoy my work. Really, writing for a newspaper is one of the best jobs I’ve ever had, in terms of quality of work. And people seem somewhat impressed when I tell them I write for a newspaper. I can actually feel a twinge of pride when I tell acquaintances what I do for a living, instead of saying what I used to have to say: ‘Well, I work for a gym, but there’s a lot more to me than that. My job doesn’t define me.’ Now I can say, ‘I get paid to write. And my job is sort of a good descriptor of who I am. Or at least it's within the infield of what I’m interested in, in life.’

Newspaper reporting allows me to get to know different, interesting people (at least on occasion). I get to hone my people skills in a non-customer service environment. I get to learn about sometimes interesting topics. And I get to write, which I believe has helped me become a better writer.
But there are still some problems. And yes, I know every job has its shortcomings. But the newspaper industry has a rather large one: it’s difficult to move “up the ladder” at the moment. Newspapers don’t have the money to hand out pay raises, and are often forced to lay people off to keep the publication afloat.

That brings us back to last week. Last Tuesday, I hit my one-year mark at the paper. It reminded me that I’ve been getting the same, steady paycheck for the past 12 months. That’s not necessarily a bad thing these days, with others fighting just to stay employed. But $12.50 an hour is not big money, either. The anniversary also reminded me that my pay will not change in the foreseeable future. Most employers outside the newspaper industry would have given me a cost of living pay increase by now. My paper can’t even afford to pay me a couple hours of overtime. Which brings me to my next point.

I hit overtime on Thursday night, which meant I had to take Friday off. I enjoyed having the extended weekend, but now I’ll have to cram Friday’s work into Monday instead of getting ahead. Welcome to yet another stressful week. All this because of another grievance I have. In order to keep the newspaper out of the red, we publish several “special sections” each year, which generate additional ad revenue. These are inserts that cater to specific audiences, and they require the reporters to write copy to fill space and inform readers. I do get two hours of overtime to write for some special sections (which I’m required to do anyway), but not for the one I was working on last week. So, once I had amassed 80 hours over the last two-week period, I was done.

I might sound bitter, but I’m really not. Like I said, I do enjoy my job. But, as any reader can see, an industry that has trouble sustaining itself can sometimes frustrate those working within it. Maybe being more of an entrepreneurial writer will be just as frustrating. I’m willing to at least give it a shot, eventually. I just hope newspapers hold out long enough for me to take that step.