From Inside the News-room, the "Trauma" of Layoffs and Feeling "Trapped" Afterward

• These are all typical feelings at every company that does layoffs. No real story here. I really think we need to create a DaMN Death Pool to pick the date of their last issue. At this point, I don't think it is a question of IF, but of WHEN. Scott, please don't call Dale Hanson a "reporter" - that's an insult to real reporters. Dale is just a huffy airbag who does opinions not real reporting.

• There are many ways for a good company to avoid any layoffs at all. It's a better business practice as I believe even the news talked about in this last weekend's paper. These companies always talk about employees as their major resource - then dump them. What we need is a newspaper that puts readers ahead of advertisers. The DaMN isn't it. One look at any issue and you see ads trump all.

• Two things are remarkable about that pseudo-sensitive post by Huang: (1) He was actually in the office when the layoffs happened and wasn't off somewhere else on yet another fellowship or job interview. (2) He doesn't disclose his part in choosing people to be laid off during past layoffs.

• The single-minded are one-dimensional. In any profession. An uncompromising sense of shared humanity is the only way to gather 'facts' which are often complex and many. While the 'truth' sets anyone free, the ideological pursuit of 'it' without regard for others is one way I�d define a sociopathic profile. As for painting every demographic with a brush so broad it makes taggers blush: In this case BELO? When you ridicule it, are you shooting from the hip with a shotgun rather than cherry picking the single-shot recipients of your wrath a la the Navy Seals vs. pirates? The many front line soldiers at the DMN I know are, in many cases, people of great character and honor. Tom Huang sounds like Exhibit A.

• Does this mean I have to put up with more pop ups on an already dysfunctional website of ad-whoredom? In my opinion we are laying off publishers, not reporters.

• @Scott I disagree. A good journalist has a uniquely human curiosity and sensitivity that is TEMPERED by pursuit of the facts. Robot journalists would pursue the facts unflinchingly but would you want to read their stories or have them conduct an interview with you?

• Integrity at Belo? Hahhhahhhhhhhhahhhhhhhhhaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhahhaaaa!

• No, it should be unflinching pursuit of the facts. Some of us are wired that way, others are evidently more concerned about offending their friends and benefactors. That concern may be part and parcel of the rot that has consumed Belo. Their fiercest reporter is Dale Hansen.

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