The Measure of a Company

As I watched a few of my colleagues break down and cry today in the newsroom, I couldn't help but think: How did we come to this?

And I thought: Here I am, at a once-great Maryland company, and we're down-sizing. Scores of my colleagues -- lovers of truth, the printed word, and fairness -- will soon walk out onto North Calvert Street, and never return to journalism again.

This is not right-sizing. Nothing about this is right.

These people at The Sun who have been here until now... they love what they do. They do it extremely well. They probably should've left Tribune a looooong time ago. But they stuck around, hoping and trusting and believing that our well-paid executive leadership would get us out of this jam. They stuck around because they still got a kick out of reporting in Baltimore.

They stuck around because being a reporter truly is the life of kings. (Thanks, Mencken)

But when it was time for them to go, our publisher, Timothy E. Ryan, gave them 12 days to decide on their future. Twelve days to pick themselves up, dust themselves off, and -- for many who are in the middle of their careers -- to try to find another way to put food on the table for their families and pay their mortgages in one of the toughest job markets in years.

What happened today... the loss is incalculable. Sure, Tribune will get its numbers. They always do.

But you can't put a price on what was lost today.

Thanks, Sun.

Vote in the Buyout Poll Before Tomorrow

Please help your fellow Guild members get a sense of who is/is not taking the buyout. Go to the jobs blog and vote in the anonymous poll.

So far, 14 people have cast their votes -- and the results may surprise you. No, shock you. No, they will absolutely, positively make you think: this poll needs to be in the Hot-L! Stat!

Okay, I'll cut it with the hyperbole. Just go vote. We're all curious. Thanks.

"We Need to be in one building so we can learn what the other does..."

And now, ye' faithful News of the Sun subscribers, our first-ever Pop News Quiz:

Who said the phrase that's the title of this blog post: "We need to be in one building so we can learn what the other does"?

First person to scour the Internet, find the reference in a very recent news article and post the link in the comments below (with a short synopsis of the article) gets a free cup of coffee and a cookie from me tomorrow!

Ready....
Set.....

GO!

P.S. All Pop News Quizzes are open to both Guild and non-Guild Sun employees. You can't win if you don't play.

P.P.S. If you're not a Sun employee but want to show your smarts, send your response to gussentementes(at)gmail(dot)com. Just don't ruin the contest for my colleagues. Thanks!

Job Posting: Assistant PR Director at Local University

Check out the listing at BaltimoreJournalismJobs.blogspot.com. They're seeking someone with some multimedia savvy -- not a lot.

Reinvent yourself meeting

The Gus meeting to discuss what we do next with our lives is at 415 St. Paul Place.
If you're going, best way is to walk up the hill directly acorss from our front steps, make a left at the top of the hill, and it's about a block down the road. Guild office is upstairs.

For those of you who couldn't make the lunchtime meeting, I may be able to post a summary of it. i wasn't there, but i think someone is doing a bulletin on what was said...

And Don't Forget ....

In addition to the Q&A on the buyout packet tomorrow (see details in previous post), some friendly ex-journalists will be sharing their wisdom on how to find a job outside of newspapers.

Here are the deets:

5:30 p.m. -- Panel of former journalists discuss how to make the transition from newspapers to something that's (hopefully) better for you. Location: Guild offices on St. Paul. For more details, visit the jobs blog.

Q&A About the Buyout -- A Drop-in Event

Guild Bulletin:

GUILD OFFERS BUYOUT HELP

With less than a week to go to make decisions about the Sun's buyout plan, many of you have asked several good questions about how the buyout works and whether taking a buyout is a good choice for you and your family.

What are the tax consequences of taking a lump sum payment? Can I apply for unemployment insurance? If I sign this Waiver and Release, what does that really mean?

The Guild wants to help with some of your legal or financially-related questions. So we've asked a few folks to come set up shop for a couple hours to talk to you about what you want to know.

We'll hold a little seminar on Tuesday, July 8 from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. at St. Ignatius Church (just up the street from The Sun).

Among those invited are:

• Bob Paul, Guild attorney
• Pamela R. Graham, Registered Principal and Financial Advisor at Pro Wealth Management
• Bill Salganik, Guild leader extraordinaire (Bill just took this very buyout in March and can help).
• Stephanie Shapiro, former Features reporter (Stephanie also took the buyout in March).
• Tax Attorney, TBA

The experts can't provide individual financial planning, but will be on hand to answer general questions as best they can. The format will be drop-in style. So stop by whenever you have a moment in your work day that is mutually agreeable between you and your supervisor.

What: Financial Help with Buyout Package
When: Tuesday, July 8 -- anytime from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Where: St. Ignatius Church
740 N. Calvert St.

Drop in anytime between 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. All interested employees, regardless of Guild or non-Guild status, are welcome.