The London Free Press is being honest with its readers when it comes to what not to expect from the newspaper - online or in print - between 1 a.m. and 7 a.m.
In a nutshell, nil.
In an editor's blog posting about a 12:01 strike deadline yesterday, Joe Ruscitti, the editor-in-chief, writes:
"Why are those deadlines always at 12:01 a.m.? That’s very bad for our newspaper deadline. Because as much as we like to say we pump stuff out online and into print 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, the truth is we not quite that nimble.
"There is no one in the newsroom, unless they have stayed at very costly overtime rates, to update anything on any medium from about 1-7 a.m. on any day.
"This will inevitably change over the next months but it hasn’t yet. Our last print edition is finished by the newsroom at 11:30 p.m. with the possibility of what we call ‘red lights’ – updates to a small number of pages, usually sports for West Coast game scores while the press is rolling – until 1 a.m."
Lack of late-breaking news and sports in morning print editions and overnight online dead zones are not uncommon at Sun Media due to staff shortages, but it is unusual to see an editor tell readers about staffing shortfalls.
TSF readers have said torontosun.com is woefully understaffed at any time of the day.
No one works lobster shifts any more. They went out with four-star editions.
ReplyDeleteOvertime? Reporters and editors get paid overtime? Sign me up so I can quit volunteering my evenings and weekends where I'm at. Although if I were a sales assistant, I get paid overtime...hmm..maybe I should switch to the dark side.
ReplyDeletePKP and his cronies preach web and 24-hour news coverage as the future yet they can't even pay to keep staff operating a website around the clock.
ReplyDeleteAnd Quebecor thinks it can be a competitive company? Give me a break.
LFP posts their content online during the day? Funny...
ReplyDeleteI'd settle for being paid, period.
ReplyDeleteRegular contributor to one of the special sections – haven't received a paycheck since August.
24-hour news coverage meaning ...
ReplyDelete- From 24 Hours free daily website?
- 24 hours a month everywhere else but Quebec?
Comedian Stephen Wright had this joke about going to a convenience store that posted "open 24 hours" but finding the door locked. When he went back the next day, the owner told him "Not in a row."
ReplyDeleteI wonder what the cleaner does overnight. Perhaps we could get him to help. More with less!
ReplyDelete