the smell of newsprint in the morning

Tonight is the annual American Society of Magazine Editors Alumni reception, my first since completing my ASME internship back in 2006. I RSVPed immediately to the invite when it came about a month ago, though as the time drew closer I wondered if attending a reception with a bunch of people who are all gainfully employed at magazines was perhaps not the brightest idea I've ever had.

But today, as I made plans to meet up with a good friend from my ASME year to hit the reception together, I got reminded that things aren't good. For anyone. My friend was recently laid off as her magazine got rid of all its employees save the editor and a couple of interns making $8 an hour.

Although I'd be lying if I said I wasn't happy to have someone to commiserate with, I'm sick over her loss. Because she's my friend, and I care about her welfare, but also because being a part of this industry of late has been like participating in a massive death watch, where we all operate in a continuous brace-mode, waiting for the next title to fall. Waiting for the next group of hundreds of our friends and co-workers to be sent to the unemployment line.

Unlike some people, I do not believe that journalism is dying. Not even close. I think that the times are changing, and magazines (and newspapers) are going to have to learn to change with them. For a lot of titles, that means spending less on overhead by moving out of New York. When I applied several months ago for a job with Maxim, the gal who interviewed me told me they were moving their entire online division to Franklin, Tennessee.

I just hope that readers of magazines and newspapers will remember what it is they love so much about the relationship they have with a publication and choose to subscribe or purchase the issues at the newsstand rather than reading solely online. If there ever did come a day where curling up with a newspaper and a cup of coffee meant curling up with my laptop, I'd be pretty bummed out. And I reckon a lot of you would be, too.


cheers,
elizabeth