More newspaper jobs disappearing
So common these days that I almost have trouble keeping up. The Bay Area News Group, which includes the Oakland Tribune, the San Jose Mercury News, and the Contra Costa Times, announced a voluntary buyout program today, and warned that if not enough employees opt for a buyout, then some people will be laid off with half the severance package that a buyout would get them.
i can’t figure out if the Oakland Trib has a full time reporter assigned to cover Oakland politics and muni govt. Could you list their names and their credentials? (credetentials would help readers evaluate how much credence to put on the reporting)
Comment by len raphael — February 27, 2008 @ 8:41 pm
Len-
I believe Kelly Rayburn (that’s a he, in case you’re wondering) is the Trib’s city hall reporter, covering both the mayor’s office and the council. As far as I know it’s a full-time beat. Other reporters sometimes write about city govt. too, but as far as I know there aren’t any others who are formally assigned to the beat, even part-time. I’m basing this solely on a semi-regular reading of the Tribune — V Smoothe might know better, and can correct me if I’m wrong. I don’t know anything about Rayburn’s credentials, but most newspaper reporters have no specialized credentials except possibly a master’s degree in journalism. Reporters are typically expected to be generalists who should be prepared to cover any beat, whether it is politics or education or crime or the environment, etc. There are some reporters who have academic or career training related to their particular beat, but that is usually neither expected nor required.
Comment by Dogtown Commoner — February 27, 2008 @ 10:05 pm