|
What Happened To Workman? First, I need to dispel a few rumors. Da Mob did not rub me out, I wasn't abducted by aliens from Area 51, and I'm not on the run from the law. I wasn't hit by a bus; I didn't hit a bus; there have been no interactions between me and any bus of any kind. I haven't moved, I haven't been run out of town, and I haven't had any out-of-large-body experiences. My contract with Stephens Media simply wasn't renewed. Although, it's not surprising that people might have been led to speculate about my mysterious disappearance from the pages of Mesquite Local News after June 16. It's almost as if the bosses at the Las Vegas Review-Journal and Stephens Media wanted to pretend like I never existed, wiping out any trace or vestige of my previous six years with the newspaper I founded with Cindi Delaney and Sue Hurley. When the June 23 edition of the paper came out, it was like The Great Darrin Switch of 1970, when TV executives unceremoniously swapped actors for the part of Darrin in the hit TV show "Bewitched." There was no announcement, no explanation, no chance for me to write a farewell column. Just a nice big "Morris who?" The move wasn't a particular surprise to me. I had been warring with management almost from the day they bought MLN in June of 2009. From the start, I learned they didn't like my aggressive approach to news, hated my in-your-face editorials, and weren't really interested in our investigative journalism. You know, the things that helped us win 29 Nevada Press Association awards over the last five years. (Sorry, did that sound catty? And I'm trying so hard to play nice!) They wanted Mesquite Local News to engage in more "Community Newspapering." That's not a cute tagline or a geographic identifier. It's a kind of newspaper which has become prevalent in the news industry across the country. Community Newspapering means lots of features, soft news, exhaustive coverage of art shows and school plays, in-depth interviews with afghan knitters, and attending whatever meetings the local governments and groups have on the schedule for that week. Almost by definition, Community Newspapering avoids controversy, is devoid of significant investigative journalism, and basically becomes a weekly recap of the region's community calendar. Personally, I find the term and concept to be offensive. In my opinion, it is built on the arrogant big-city premise that every town with a population of less than 50,000 is Mayberry; that small communities don't have crime, corruption, or drama, and that its residents aren't sophisticated enough to appreciate or desire the kind of hard news that used to be the hallmark of good journalism in the previous century. If you want a great example of Community Newspapering, simply pick up a copy of the Desert Valley Times. That's not a slam. The DVT and its St. George handlers know exactly what kind of newspaper they want to be, and they do it well. They're a little too comfortably in bed with City Hall for my taste, but that's pretty normal for Community Newspapering, and to be expected when the paper's editor is the father-in-law of the city's Recreation and Parks Director. Again, that's not a knock. The DVT is good at what they do, and they have been very profitable in doing it. And that's the crux of the matter. In this century, newspapers are no longer about the truth. They're about money. And it's tough to make money by telling the truth. Businesses don't want to see their ads next to stories about their town and their buddies in government that might be anything less than flattering. Somehow, we in this nation have reached the point where truth is bad for business. But I'm on my soapbox. In my opinion, Stephens Media simply bought the wrong newspaper in 2009. I think they would have been much happier had they bought the DVT. Since they didn't, it was as if they wanted MLN to be more like the DVT by engaging in more Community Newspapering. I tried repeatedly to tell them that no community needs two of the same kind of newspaper. I always believed that we had to be different, and the best way was to take the more traditional approach of finding and printing hard news. They disagreed. And it is, after all, their business. So when my two-year contract came up, they advised me on June 15 that they were not renewing it. Oh, and to gather up my stuff and hand over my keys while they watched me pack. But I can't complain too much. They paid me through the end of the month, and paid me for all my vacation and earned time off. It wasn't an acrimonious ending. I didn't get fired over something I'd written, or because a former mayor and/or her henchman had called my boss again (something that happened frequently during the last two years). I didn't get canned for disobeying an order or getting lippy with my superiors. The ax didn't fall because circulation was down (it wasn't) or because our online hit counts weren't great. (The website was averaging 250,000 hits per month in 2011, and set a new record with more than 345,000 hits in April alone). There was no yelling, no finger-pointing. According to the sales staff, even advertising was looking up. They simply didn't renew my contract. They probably made the right decision. As I said, a newspaper has to be profitable to survive. Only idiots like my former partner and I would put principle over profits. With me gone, and a new feel-good approach to news, chances are good that MLN will sell more ads. And to tell the truth, it was probably the right time. My departure comes as our city is at a crossroad, facing a rebirth of sorts. Thanks to the June elections, we
have a new mayor, and a new majority on the city council. In addition, the
city currently has a new police chief, a relatively new fire chief, and
has seen the departure of the city manager. The Virgin Valley Water District has had a similar housecleaning in the last year with the departure of the general manager (who is facing trial), the chief hydrologist (who was recently released from jail on bond, and is facing more than two dozen charges of bribery and money laundering), their former attorney, a longtime board member, and the board president. So Mesquite is poised for a fresh start. Maybe that fresh start needed a new editor at Mesquite Local News. The Stephens Media axe didn't fall on me alone. The Review-Journal terminated more than three dozen employees in the last four months, including Corey Levitan, the outrageous award-winning columnist who once served as "mayor for a day" in Mesquite. (I know he's an award winner because Levitan won the "Best Local Columnist" award for daily newspapers from the Nevada Press Association in 2008, the same year I won "Best Local Columnist" for the small weekly division, an award I won again in 2010.) If I'm honest with myself and with you, I think I was ready to go. I've accomplished just about everything I wanted to accomplish since Mesquite Local News started. I'm happy, enjoying life, and experiencing what it's like to go seven days in a row without relentless stress and deadlines. I'm also writing almost as much as I did when I was with the newspaper, between the columns here on MorrisWorkman.com and the three books I'm currently writing. Best of all, I'm writing exactly what I want to write, without humorless copy editors arguing with me over arcane Three Stooges references that they could never quite grasp. I am creating the worlds I want to live in, without worry that I'm going to offend some bureaucrat or advertiser. To be honest, the pay sucks, but my hope is that one of the books will sell and I'll soon be able to start showing up at McDonalds again on a regular basis. I've sent excerpts from the first novel to a couple of publishers, and I'm working on a second novel as well as a collection of short stories (although it's sometimes tough to type with my fingers crossed, waiting for a favorable response on the first novel). I'll also continue writing the Workman Chronicle each week, which you can find right here. I love humor writing, and would hope to someday be known as the male Erma Bombeck. Or the southern-accent-less Lewis Grizzard. Or the illegitimate cousin of Dave Barry. There are so many people I'd like to thank, but this is the point at which the credits would be rolling and people would be leaving the theater, unless you happen to be watching the Oscars. For now, I want to thank you, the reader. Without you, I'd just be another overweight, balding, suspender-wearing lunatic howling at an indifferent moon. I've appreciated your support, your kind words, and even your harsh words when I had it coming. It's not a cheap cliche' to say that I've sincerely done all this for you over the years. I've always believed that you deserved the truth, and I can only hope that I've provided it in a creative, interesting, and entertaining way. I also hope a few of you will stick around for the journey to come, as I continue to write and try to make you laugh here on this miserable speck of a website. Most of all, I want to thank you for the privilege of serving as your news guy. *Morris Workman |
"Where's Workman?" Rules
More Where's Workman
Fun
So, Where IS
Workman?
|
