Print Media Struggling

Months ago, a parishioner who works for The Detroit Free Press told me before Mass one Sunday evening that the Freep was buying the bankrupt Journal Register Media, including The Macomb Daily, and, The Oakland Press, among other local, sister papers.

Late tonight, I heard that the Journal Register will be auctioned off to the highest bidder in January.

The Oakland Press re-invented itself with a journalism laboratory, citizen journalists, and more.

As a citizen journalist myself, I learned a lot about writing a news story.  For example, Roger at The Oakland Press told me to write down everything I wanted to tell readers about at any event I was covering.  Note the opening sentence, with all else following in separate paragraphs with tansitional devices and a summary of the story in the final sentence.

Mistakes happened. 

Life is like that.

Yet, I learned from them.  For example, when I asked the guy sitting next to me at Mass to jot down his name at St. Dennis Church in Royal Oak, MI., he must not have heard me, since he wrote down his parent's names, and, all his siblings in the order of birth.

It was too late when I figured that out, and, a complaint was made by this guy's brother.  He wasn't at church that Sunday, nor did he call me when I left a voice message, although he did accept my apology.

I asked the subject sitting next to me for his city of residence, and, he pointed to Madison Heights nearby as I pointed to it, confirming that the names at the top were his, as I assumed the gal sitting next to him was related since she chimed in also.  Again, I think he had a hearing problem but would not admit it.  What a blunder.  I quoted his deceased parents in the paper,in fact.

The brother was upset, but, I didn't hear back from the guy I interviewed for a story about the final Mass at St. Dennis Church. His brother seemed to challenge the error.

Live and learn.

I'll miss The Oakland Press, and, the front page stories I wrote for it, and, for The Macomb Daily.

What the future of Journal Register is, I do not know.

I bet the Free Press is the highest bidder, however.

It could use some subscriptions as its sales dwindled since a nasty strike decades ago.

I wish the editors and reporters at the Journal Register well. May they find employment.

It is a tough time for print media.

And, for employment.