Monday 6 January 2014

Wayne Janes' farewell after 27 years at TorSun

Wayne Janes
Wayne Janes says farewell to the Toronto Sun:

When I said I wanted a buyout from the Sun, some of the people I worked with said it was the end of an era.

Maybe. But if it is it's only one in a long line of "ends of eras."

The first era ended with the ouster of Doug Creighton and there's been a string of them since, although they tended to bunch up the last few years - so much so that there seemed to be more "ends" than space in between them.

I have always loved the Sun. It opened a new door when another one was being slammed shut behind me. It was 1985 and I was offered two part-time jobs, one as a proofreader and another as mail-room sorter. I took both.

I became a full-time proofreader in '86, and thanks to the generosity (or temporary insanity) of John Paton a News desk copy-editor in '87.

A short tangent. I had a meeting in '85 with then HR boss Carl O'Byrne, during which he asked me what I thought I might do at the Sun. I said I wanted to try my hand at copyediting. He laughed, saying copyeditors were trained at J-school, which I'd never attended. Our meeting ended.

A couple of years later, after I'd been on the News desk, I saw him at a Sun party. He made a point of congratulating me and giving me a hug. It was a lesson to me of the open heart of the Sun.

The people I have worked with, in every department except Sports, have been the most generous with their time and expertise, the kindest, most hard-working, dedicated, fun, and pound-for-pound most talented souls I have ever known in my working life.

 My 27 years there has had a profound effect on me and I do miss you all.

3 comments:

  1. Seriously, will SOMEBODY wish this poor stiff their best wishes, even if they don't mean it? After a few months, it's getting pathetic.

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  2. Awwww.... nothing on here about PKP's venture into separatist politics? Too bad. Should link to the video where Marois gives her puppet a little shove back out of the spotlight...

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  3. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xJ5XyRIGQVs.
    Yee haw!

    And best wishes to Wayne Janes on a great run at the Sun. You will definitely be missed. Perhaps there could be another opportunity elsewhere for this man's talent ... who knows?

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