The NYT? Copy Editors rebel.

Not the Grey Lady.

New York Times Editors Decry “Humiliating Process” Of Layoffs

http://deadline.com/2017/06/new-york-times-editors-decry-humiliating-lay...

Using words including “betrayal,” “humiliating” and “covfefe” and suggesting that management had compared them to “dogs urinating on fire hydrants,” copy editors at The New York Times today let executive editor Dean Baquet and his heir apparent, Joseph Kahn, know exactly how they feel about taking the brunt of layoffs and buyouts as the Times expands its reporting ranks. The latest flare-up comes at a moment when the Times also is dealing with a libel lawsuit filed by former Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin over a Times Op-Ed column erroneously linking her to violent attacks on public figures.

There are 2 letters in this article. If you have some time, read them.

Letter 1 intro

Dear Dean and Joe,

We have begun the humiliating process of justifying our continued presence at The New York Times. We take some solace in the fact that we have been assured repeatedly that copy editors are highly respected here.

If that is true, we have a simple request. Cutting us down to 50 to 55 editors from more than 100, and expecting the same level of quality in the report, is dumbfoundingly unrealistic. Work with us on a new number.

But after living more than a year and a half under a cloud of uncertainty about our jobs, a cruelly drawn-out period in which we suspended major financial arrangements and life decisions, and carried an ever-growing kernel of fear;

Letter 2 Mgt Response

Dear Grant,

Your letter reflects the passion for The Times and the journalism we produce that has distinguished us for decades. Many people who care deeply about the newsroom and its editing traditions have made their concerns clear in the course of this restructuring, and we take those concerns seriously.

Oh, your still totally laid offed and fd. Thanks for your service. By the way, we totally appreciate the superb use of language in your letter. It's almost like you did it for a living.

It is true that NYT is massively failing financially. Palin will only want $10 bucks for the inconvenience of being defamed around the world...

Maybe C99% could do a leveraged buyout with junk bonds and take the mother over?

Yeah. That's a plan

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Alligator Ed's picture

after it is sold. New York Trashwrap, inc. "All the waste that's fit to wrap."

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@Alligator Ed
we would call it The New York Mullet Wrapper.

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orlbucfan's picture

Rec'd!! Smile @crbngville

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Inner and Outer Space: the Final Frontiers.

Funny how that always happens.

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"Religion is what keeps the poor from murdering the rich."--Napoleon

gulfgal98's picture

@dkmich Get rid of senior (ie, long term staff) in favor of cheaper, younger staff. I also saw this personally in local government when long term employees were pushed out to cut costs.

The copy editor's letter was excellent in that he points out how a cost saving measure (elimination of copy editing jobs) will result in a distinct drop in quality of the paper. This will lead to a drop in subscriptions. It is a self defeating mechanism.

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Do I hear the sound of guillotines being constructed?

“Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable." ~ President John F. Kennedy

to have watched the NYT fall from being the most trusted name in print to the fish wrap it now is. Very sad to someone who reveres print, but things change and it's very important to let them know if the change is for the worse. I dumped the NYT last year after years of subscribing . But even if thousands of people do the same, that paper will be bought and read by millions of people too busy or whatever to do their own research and realize this grand dame of journalism is now completely untrustworthy, just flat out unworthy of that great lady's tradition.

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lotlizard's picture

@GusBecause  
think “reliable source” — people such as Wikipedia editors, either they’re easily fooled themselves or they just use these publications’ previous reputations to fool or browbeat others. They act as if ”mainstream” is some kind of guarantee of reporting truth.

In the case of the Washington Post, they don’t realize “it’s all Bezos on that bus.” People don’t want to think about what it means for the Washington Post to be owned by Amazon billionaire Jeff Bezos, who has a contract with the CIA worth twice as much as what he paid for the Post.

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mimi's picture

@lotlizard
Amazon.com yet (but a couple of month later went online with it, don't remember if it was 1995) and it immediately was crashing all the competition of other online booksellers' and of brick and mortar booksellers' businesses). I much later (around 2011) found old video footage at the DC ARD German TV studio's archives a longer piece which showed Bezos in his warehouses in Seattle (it was older footage, don't remember the year, but around the end of the nineties), and he demonstrated back then to our journalist on camera of how to use his website to order books. It was clear he had no clue about coding or software (no Unix / Linux guy and not being ableto use his Windows based website without fumbling along...) He is a small man and a Wall Street guy and knows how to use the new technologies to gain influence and power and profit the low noise way. His main strength is how he uses technology in Warehouse logistics. Amazon Global Fullfillment Network.
A lot of detail in that article about his fullfillment centers world wide and how he began.

I also met a guy while waiting at the Baltimore Airport for my flight, who was working in his Delaware distribution plant. He showed me his hands. Full of thick callused skin, some of it ruptured. He said one can't keep up with the speed of the conveyer belts. Oh well ...

Bezos, a much less well known man than it would needed be. Every is blinded by his success. May be he is Trump's favorite entrepreneur, heh?
Whatever. Just babbling along.

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@lotlizard @lotlizard thanks, in case anyone was wondering about Amazon Anonymous steps to recovery here they are clickety-click:

1 Go to the Amazon website. If you're already logged in, doing so will open your Amazon home page.
If you aren't logged into Amazon, hover the cursor over Account & Lists, click Sign in, enter your email address and password, and click Sign in.

2 Make sure you don't have any outstanding orders or transactions. If you're supposed to be shipping or receiving merchandise, you'll need to wait until they've been completed to close your Amazon account.
You can cancel pending orders by clicking Orders near the top-right corner of Amazon's Home page, clicking Open Orders at the top of the page, clicking Cancel items to the right of the order, and clicking Cancel selected items on the far-right side of the screen.

3 Click Help. It's at the bottom-right of the page in the Let Us Help You section.

4 Click Need More Help?.' It's at the bottom of the "Browse Help Topics" section on this page.

5 Click Contact Us. This option is in the top-right side of the "Browse Help Topics" section.

6 Click Prime or Something Else. It's in the top-right corner of the "What can we help you with?" section on the "Contact Us" page.

7 Click
. This box is toward the bottom of the screen, beneath the "Tell us more about your issue" heading. Clicking it will invoke a drop-down menu.

8 Click Account settings. It's near the top of the menu.

9 Click the second
field. It's below the first one. Clicking this box will also prompt a drop-down menu.

10 Click Close my account. Doing so will prompt a third section to appear below this field with the following contact options:
E-mail
Phone
Chat

11 Click a contact option. Depending on the option you choose, your next steps will vary:
E-mail - Type in a reason for deleting your account, then click Send E-mail below the email field.
Phone - Type in your phone number in the spaces provided next to the "Your number" heading, then click Call me now.
Chat - Wait for a customer service representative to come online, then tell them you'd like to close your account.

12 Wait for your account to be deleted. Your account will be closed within the time frame presented to you by the Amazon representative to whom you speak.

Great! That just gave an "Ernestine" earworm. "Have I reached the party to whom I am speaking." LOL, use it on the amazons that's what I say. Have fun. I choose #1, then simply type "Bezos" as reason for deletion.

Once I read his "Leader Principles" vomit, it reminded me so much of slavery I used search/replace on just a few of the corporate buzzwords to make this, ran outta gas pretty quick it does go on and on:

Slavery Principles
Our Slave Plantations aren't just pretty inspirational wall hangings. These Plantations work hard, just like we do. Our Slaves use them, every day, whether they're discussing ideas for new projects, deciding on the best solution for a sucker's problem, or interviewing candidates. It's just one of the things that makes Slave Owners peculiar.

Customer Obsession
Leaders start with the customer and work backwards. They work vigorously to earn and keep customer trust. Although leaders pay attention to competitors, they obsess over customers.

Ownership
Leaders are owners. They think long term and don't sacrifice long-term value for short-term results. They act on behalf of the entire company, beyond just their own team. They never say "that's not my job".

Invent and Simplify
Leaders expect and require innovation and invention from their teams and always find ways to simplify. They are externally aware, look for new ideas from everywhere, and are not limited by "not invented here". As we do new things, we accept that we may be misunderstood for long periods of time.

Are Right, A Lot
Leaders are right a lot. They have strong judgment and good instincts. They seek diverse perspectives and work to disconfirm their beliefs.

Learn and Be Curious
Leaders are never done learning and always seek to improve themselves. They are curious about new possibilities and act to explore them.

Hire and Develop the Best
Leaders raise the performance bar with every hire and promotion. They recognize exceptional talent, and willingly move them throughout the organization. Leaders develop leaders and take seriously their role in coaching others. We work on behalf of our people to invent mechanisms for development like Career Choice.

Insist on the Highest Standards
Leaders have relentlessly high standards - many people may think these standards are unreasonably high. Leaders are continually raising the bar and driving their teams to deliver high quality products, services and processes. Leaders ensure that defects do not get sent down the line and that problems are fixed so they stay fixed.

Think Big
Thinking small is a self-fulfilling prophecy. Leaders create and communicate a bold direction that inspires results. They think differently and look around corners for ways to serve customers.

Bias for Action
Speed matters in business. Many decisions and actions are reversible and do not need extensive study. We value calculated risk taking.

Frugality
Accomplish more with less. Constraints breed resourcefulness, self-sufficiency and invention. There are no extra points for growing headcount, budget size or fixed expense.

Earn Trust
Leaders listen attentively, speak candidly, and treat others respectfully. They are vocally self-critical, even when doing so is awkward or embarrassing. Leaders do not believe their or their team's body odor smells of perfume. They benchmark themselves and their teams against the best.

Dive Deep
Leaders operate at all levels, stay connected to the details, audit frequently, and are skeptical when metrics and anecdote differ. No task is beneath them.

Have Backbone; Disagree and Commit
Leaders are obligated to respectfully challenge decisions when they disagree, even when doing so is uncomfortable or exhausting. Leaders have conviction and are tenacious. They do not compromise for the sake of social cohesion. Once a decision is determined, they commit wholly.

Deliver Results
Leaders focus on the key inputs for their business and deliver them with the right quality and in a timely fashion. Despite setbacks, they rise to the occasion and never settle.

Disconfirm your belief why not. Reading all that literally makes me sick to my stomach, it is how tech employers brainwash the think out of thoughtful heads, constant constant surveying, testing, "improving". omg I feel sorry for people who are still slaves to that depravity. Free your mind, rejoin humanity.

peace

Edit: correct format for the Earn Trust part, kinda funny how I kept missing it. heh

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mimi's picture

@eyo @eyo
and makes some of my points
[video:https://youtu.be/vt5HpT5OXFc]
Start at TC 00:00 the first section only.

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orlbucfan's picture

small kid on the WAPO. That was 6 decades ago. Its literary decline hurts, too. @lotlizard

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Inner and Outer Space: the Final Frontiers.

CB's picture

Dozens of YouTube channels are popping up where you can find the truth. More and more women are getting involved and starting to speak up.

Here's Brittany Pettibone and Inessa S in conversation about the lies of the MSM when they report on Russia and Putin.

I chat with Russian translator, Inessa S, about what motivates her to translate Putin's videos, tensions between Russia and the U.S., her opinion of the "Russia hacked the U.S. Presidential Election" accusation, whether she believes Putin is misrepresented by the U.S. Mainstream Media, Putin's recent interview on NBC with Megyn Kelly, whether she's ever been accused of being a Russian agent, what the primary goal of her channel is, and more.

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Pricknick's picture

Because I value my job more than honesty.
This. This is what we've become.

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Regardless of the path in life I chose, I realize it's always forward, never straight.

Bollox Ref's picture

Lovely fish wrap.

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Gëzuar!!
from a reasonably stable genius.

Pricknick's picture

@Bollox Ref
wouldn't send a fish in dirty newspaper.

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Regardless of the path in life I chose, I realize it's always forward, never straight.

thanatokephaloides's picture

@Pricknick

Even the mob wouldn't send a fish in dirty newspaper.

It's my understanding that bullet-proof vests are de rigeur.....

[video:https://youtu.be/V7RMKq8RQj4]

Wink

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"US govt/military = bad. Russian govt/military = bad. Any politician wanting power = bad. Anyone wielding power = bad." --Shahryar

"All power corrupts absolutely!" -- thanatokephaloides

Amanda Matthews's picture

something. I doubt that if you'd use the NYT and WP to line a bird cage the poor birdie would even crap on them.

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I'm tired of this back-slapping "Isn't humanity neat?" bullshit. We're a virus with shoes, okay? That's all we are. - Bill Hicks

Politics is the entertainment branch of industry. - Frank Zappa

CB's picture

NYT Finally Retracts Russia-gate Canard
June 29, 2017

By Robert Parry

The New York Times has finally admitted that one of the favorite Russia-gate canards – that all 17 U.S. intelligence agencies concurred on the assessment of Russian hacking of Democratic emails – is false.

On Thursday, the Times appended a correction to a June 25 article that had repeated the false claim, which has been used by Democrats and the mainstream media for months to brush aside any doubts about the foundation of the Russia-gate scandal and portray President Trump as delusional for doubting what all 17 intelligence agencies supposedly knew to be true.
...
Clapper testified before a Senate Judiciary subcommittee on May 8 that the Russia-hacking claim came from a “special intelligence community assessment” (or ICA) produced by selected analysts from the CIA, NSA and FBI, “a coordinated product from three agencies – CIA, NSA, and the FBI – not all 17 components of the intelligence community,” the former DNI said.

Clapper further acknowledged that the analysts who produced the Jan. 6 assessment on alleged Russian hacking were “hand-picked” from the CIA, FBI and NSA.

Yet, as any intelligence expert will tell you, if you “hand-pick” the analysts, you are really hand-picking the conclusion. For instance, if the analysts were known to be hard-liners on Russia or supporters of Hillary Clinton, they could be expected to deliver the one-sided report that they did.
...

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