FiredJournalists.com

[Will Seberger]

It seems that every day I find myself reading that newsroom talent is getting dumped in nearly every market.

Surely there are people out there, now jobless, who recognize the nonmonetary value of the job, as well as the potential for revenue, who wouldn't dream of leaving the biz.

A wise man once told me that necessity is the mother of invention. No doubt the smart minds, now jobless, are the same people that will develop the new business model that will carry our important profession into the new marketplace.

I will happily work with whomever to develop a site to get these recently unemployed (or even currently employed) people together to figure out how we can redefine this business in a way that allows us to keep feeding our families while maintaining a sound journalistic mission.

We should call it firedjournalists.com .

Who's with me?

[Alexandre Gamela]

i guess unemployed journalists would sound better. the last place i worked still owes me money, and if told you how much you'd laugh because it's a ridiculously small amount (to me it would come handy though). but yes, fire journalists, fire the the best : they will all burn the decaying business down. if a project comes up - i have a few in sight - i'll gladly participate. i'm with you.

[matt king]

I'm with you in the spirit of your posting, but we've thrown every bell and whistle online anyone can think of and it hasn't helped at all.

Just like always, so much of what we're doing is for its own sake (which is not an argument to stop doing it).

The problem is that society believes that Internet = free.

We're not gonna change that with some magical "content."

It's up to the business people, the people who are in this for the money, to figure this out.

Meanwhile, I'll keep working hard trying to serve people.

[Zac Echola]

That's what happened to many of the people who write for MinnPost.com, which is fast becoming one of the most interesting sites dedicated to Minnesota news.

It's also (to my knowledge) the first online news organization of its caliber to operate as a non profit.

[Maurreen Skowran]

How about Jobless Journalists? Less negative, more alliterative.

I can buy the domain, and I have Web hosting.

[Will Seberger]

Jobless, to me, implies cardboard boxes and cheap vodka. But if you're interested, let's keep this discussion alive.

[Maurreen Skowran]

To me, "fired" implies the person dismissed was the cause.

But anyway, once we settle on a name, what should the site be or do?

Maybe it could start as a pointer to a Ning network.

[matt king]

zach - caliber will be in eye of beholder. but check out voice of san diego.

[Will Seberger]

I would like to see a site that allows those of us that have something to say to band together and get some press, if you will, for our ideas.

It's not to be a slam site, but rather a collection of op-eds on what's right and wrong in the industry from the people that work(ed) in the trenches.

Ideally, I'd like to see people post resumes there as well. Who knows? One of their bright ideas might land them a job in management.

And I wouldn't restrict it to only unemployed journalists. We can safely assume that we're all on the verge of losing our jobs.

[Alexandre Gamela]

I don't believe we're on the verge of losing our jobs more than before. But if you want a place to show how many valuable professionals are out there trying hard to make a living, and give them space to present their ideas and abilities, i'm in. It could start as group right here at WJ, and then see where it takes us.
The resume posting would be a great, and it could also work as a platform for collaborations. Keep feeding this.

[Maurreen Skowran]

I think it would need focus. Will, your two ideas seem divergent.

I do agree on the potential for posting resumes.

But if it wouldn't be restricted to unemployed journalists, then it need some other focus.

Maybe journalist resumes? Journalists looking for work?

All trade-offs.