Wednesday 25 April 2007

Wayne Janes email

Wayne Janes, a veteran Toronto Sun staffer now in entertainment, tells Toronto Sun Family in an e-mail:

"I have been reading this blog for several months now
and a picture has gradually taken shape in my mind: Several journalists gather round a bar table, reminiscing about Ol' Joe. They tell Ol' Joe stories, laugh about the days when Ol' Joe was around, shed a few tears for Ol' Joe . . . and sitting there at the table with them is Ol' Joe.

Wasn't it Mark Twain who said "the reports of my death
are greatly exaggerated," or something to that effect.

I think this blog is much needed, but there is a definite funereal air to much of what appears on it. While it's lost a lot of blood and may be short of breath, the Sun is still standing and still swinging.

There are many of us still "toiling in The Word Factory," trying hard to make something good out of the resources we're left with . . . and occasionally, to my mind, succeeding.

Everything changes, the Sun no exception. There can be disagreement over how it will change and how those changes might be achieved, but it makes no sense at this point to ask why or to spend too much time lamenting the past. What I'd like to see on this blog is a lot more from the people who are still at the Sun, working to keep the paper viable under Quebecor's direction and implementing their plans, such as we know them.

Can their plans work? I don't know, but, as Charles Greene said on this blog, they have a plan and they mean to execute it. We're on that train whether we like it or not. Unless we all get off — and I don't see that happening — there's a lot of work to do and it's being done every day, to my knowledge, by living, breathing Sun staffers.

The general belief is that morale is low. Well, it's beyond that. We've dispensed with morale altogether and moved whole hog into cynicism, which is better, for my money. Low morale makes you moan and hang your head; cynicism is a stance, and a stance calls for action.

As far as I'm concerned this is still OUR paper, meaning the paper of the people who put their sweat and creativity into it daily, who actually do the job, just as it always has been. That hasn't changed. It ain't over 'til it's over, it ain't dead 'til it's DEAD.

And just a little note . . . there are people all over this building, not just in Editorial, who made the Sun what it is: Classified, Prepress, Advertising, Special sections and most especially Sports, which gets little mention and deserves a huge amount of credit."

Wayne Janes
Entertainment

Thank you for your e-mail Wayne and thank you for not commenting anonymously.

We agree. The depleted Sun is still very much alive and kicking and all staffers in every department deserve credit for their efforts.

And yes, Sun employees throughout the building should be heard from in this blog. That is one of the reasons it exists. This blog is for all current and former employees, but we have heard from few current employees who are willing to be identified and quoted.

We are not here to bury the Sun, but to provide a venue for freedom of expression and perhaps 11th hour resuscitation.

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