DPJ Member: I Walk on Quicksand All Day Long
Hi, everyone. I agreed to publish this first-person piece from a member of our community without a byline because sometimes finding catharsis is hard enough without having to put your name up there in bright lights. As much as I’d love to have Displaced Journalists write and sign their stories, it’s getting to the point [...]
From AJR: Capital Flight
Watchdog reporting is at an alarming low at many federal agencies and departments whose actions have a huge impact on the lives of American citizens. This article appears in the June/July issue of American Journalism Review. It was funded by the Open Society Institute. By Jodi Enda After an explosion killed 29 coal miners in [...]
Why Ex-Reporters Make Great Ghostwriters
By Ellen Neuborne Special to Displaced Journalists 5.6.2010 I used to be a reporter. Now I’m a ghostwriter. I get a lot of raised eyebrows when I say that. Usually, it’s followed by comments such as “Really? For anybody famous?” Or “Can you make a living at that?” No, nobody famous. Yes, you can make [...]
Displaced Journalist Replaces “The Rocky” with ”Fit to Print” Life
M.E. Sprengelmeyer is ”reporter/publisher” of The Guadalupe County Communicator, a 2,000-circulation weekly in the colorful Route 66 community of Santa Rosa, New Mexico. M.E., as he prefers to be called, was Washington correspondent for the Rocky Mountain News when the Denver-based newspaper published its final edition February 27, 2009. He was a displaced journalist, but not for [...]
We’re Not Done Yet; What Shall We Do Next?
By Susan Older Founder, Displaced Journalists We have a rapidly growing, multi-talented Facebook community. What shall we do next with this initiative? As one of our writers, Melanie Kolden, pointed out on our site in March, we really don’t know one another. (Of course, we just started in January.) We share articles, links, and comments. But [...]
AOL is Still Hiring Regional Editors
AOL is still hiring. If you are interested in any of the following positions, go to the AOL Careers Site, submit your application, and make sure to mention that Andrea Stone, senior Washington correspondent for AOL News, referred you. Then send a your resume to Andrea at andrea.stone@corp.aol.com, so she can pass it along and call [...]
Share Your Story With Us
By Susan Older Founder, Displaced Journalists Many of you have written to say you would like to get to know one another. With 685 (and counting) members on our Displaced Journalists Facebook page, that’s not easy. I commend those of you who’ve written about yourselves: Melanie Kolden, Mark Mayfield, Britt Conley, Jules Older (no relation), [...]
“15 Minutes of Fame” Isn’t Worth Compromise
By Geveryl Robinson February 15, 2010 In 2007, one of my students, John Weldon, was murdered. I was an English instructor at Savannah Technical College, and John, who grew up in one of the worst housing projects in Savannah, was the first person in his family to attend college. The last time I saw John, [...]
Sad About My Layoff? Not Me, I’m “The Photo Garden Bee”
Like everyone, I’ve been holding my breath each time rumors regarding “downsizing,” “right-sizing,” “cutbacks” or “sacrifices to the stock market gods” started swirling around the newsroom. Unfortunately, more often than not, most of the rumors have been followed by real layoffs of really talented friends and co-workers. This past December 1st was no different. The [...]
Reflections of a Newsosaur: Stop the Exploitation of Journalists
The author has shared the lede and link to Monday’s (Feb. 1) post on his blog: “Reflections of a Newsosaur: Musings (and occasional urgent warnings) of a veteran media executive who fears our news-gathering companies are stumbling to extinction.” By Alan D. Mutter It’s time for journalists to stop participating in their own exploitation by working for [...]
« go back — keep looking »Welcome to Our Community
Is there life – or work – after newspapers? A lot of us are in the process of finding out. Because it’s generally a somewhat lonely endeavor, it struck me, in January 2010, that it might be comforting – and possibly very productive – to go through it together.
Displaced Journalists is a community – our community – where we find common ground, where we can begin to pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off and get on with our lives and livelihoods. [more]