How'd you like a job that requires writing with a “low level of complexity, analysis and narrative?” No, Navel Gazing isn't hiring. The San Diego Union-Tribune, now helmed by former OC Register Vice President of Interactive Jeff Light, is.
Light joined the daily newspaper of our neighbors to the south a few months ago. It doesn't sound like he has had an easy time.
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On Friday, our sister paper SF Weekly noticed the Union-Tribune's posting on journalismjobs.com looking for “Jr. Staff Writers” to “research and write news and straight forward short stories with low level of complexity, analysis and narrative,” “compile lists” and “use social media.”
This comes after the Union-Tribune's announcement that it would eliminate of 35 jobs, many held by veteran reporters.
Commence hand wringing about the end of journalism. Or not: “I would not draw any connection between our hiring community reporters and alarmist views of the death of the news business,” Light wrote in an e-mail to SF Weekly.
And in an interview with Voice of San Diego, Light explained further:
It's not like we're turning the keys to the U-T over to inexperienced people. What we've done is say we need to install another level — a more efficient level — of reporter, just to cover the breadth of what's going on in the community and generate the volume.
In the same Q&A, Light described the changes he has had to make at his new newspaper as “wrenching.” Sounds tough, but Light survived Booger-gate at the Register. You imagine he can survive this.
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