So well said, all of this. And yet. As a mainstream-media journo who spent 23 years at one paper and took a buyout in 2021 for the VERY lucky reason that I needed a life change, not an escape, I have to say there's just a little more to the story. What is being lost as the big legacy orgs circle the drain is the collaborative workplace environment where young journalists learned from the really, really good veteran reporters and editors, then turned into veterans themselves who nurtured the next generation. They learned to ask, "Yes, that's true. But what's NOT being said by this or that mouthpiece?" or, "No, that's not 100% true, but you're antennae are up for a reason. Wonder what it is? Let's do a little more digging!" Like no other place I ever worked, the newsroom was where collaboration and curiosity - informed by veterans' experience and newcomer's fresh eyes - helped create work that was so much greater than the sum of its parts. Were there shitty reporters and insipid/ego-crazed editors among us? You bet (oh, do I have stories ... still: name any workplace that doesn't have dolts). But the journo enterprise, with truth-telling as its imperfectly met mission, nonetheless creaked forward and produced worthy work in good part because no one was going it alone. I'm new to Substack and love it fiercely (Peak Notions is an absolute gem!). It's a place for lone, superb, un-messed-with writers to shine as brightly as they deserve. What I grieve is the loss of "mainstream" journalism resulting from collaborative work done behind the scenes. But I also take great hope from vibrant nonprofit news orgs (like Pro-Publica, Inside Climate News and the like) that are owning niches and raising up new writers. I'm sure their newsrooms are as fraught by ego as mainstream ones were/are, but at least there's a chance for the collaboration needed to tell stories of depth and breadth. Thanks, Laura, for writing yet another superb post via a platform that allows us to find you so easily.
There is an opportunity to recreate community and collaboration on Substack. IRL is best, and possible if you live in a Substack dense community like NYC or other major city. But the digital connections also give an opportunity for collaboration across geography and time zones.
Well done. When might you expect more writer migrations to begin?
So well said, all of this. And yet. As a mainstream-media journo who spent 23 years at one paper and took a buyout in 2021 for the VERY lucky reason that I needed a life change, not an escape, I have to say there's just a little more to the story. What is being lost as the big legacy orgs circle the drain is the collaborative workplace environment where young journalists learned from the really, really good veteran reporters and editors, then turned into veterans themselves who nurtured the next generation. They learned to ask, "Yes, that's true. But what's NOT being said by this or that mouthpiece?" or, "No, that's not 100% true, but you're antennae are up for a reason. Wonder what it is? Let's do a little more digging!" Like no other place I ever worked, the newsroom was where collaboration and curiosity - informed by veterans' experience and newcomer's fresh eyes - helped create work that was so much greater than the sum of its parts. Were there shitty reporters and insipid/ego-crazed editors among us? You bet (oh, do I have stories ... still: name any workplace that doesn't have dolts). But the journo enterprise, with truth-telling as its imperfectly met mission, nonetheless creaked forward and produced worthy work in good part because no one was going it alone. I'm new to Substack and love it fiercely (Peak Notions is an absolute gem!). It's a place for lone, superb, un-messed-with writers to shine as brightly as they deserve. What I grieve is the loss of "mainstream" journalism resulting from collaborative work done behind the scenes. But I also take great hope from vibrant nonprofit news orgs (like Pro-Publica, Inside Climate News and the like) that are owning niches and raising up new writers. I'm sure their newsrooms are as fraught by ego as mainstream ones were/are, but at least there's a chance for the collaboration needed to tell stories of depth and breadth. Thanks, Laura, for writing yet another superb post via a platform that allows us to find you so easily.
There is an opportunity to recreate community and collaboration on Substack. IRL is best, and possible if you live in a Substack dense community like NYC or other major city. But the digital connections also give an opportunity for collaboration across geography and time zones.
It does, indeed. In what other venue would we have Laura - and connected with each other because of her work? Makes me feel hopeful!
Fascinating insights into a world I know very little about. Thanks Laura. I am very glad you moved to this platform.