A tribute to a great infographics staff
As we announced last month, The Virginian-Pilot is downsizing its graphics operation.
Ken Wright — wearing the white hat, below — retired 10 days ago. Miranda Mulligan — at right, below — will join the Pilot’s multimedia team Thursday.
The remainder of the department — John Earle (second from left) and Bob Voros (second from right) and I (left)– will be folded under the wing of the design team.
Because that leaves only two folks for me to supervise, I’ve been asked to step down as a manager and become a staff artist. Today is my last day as a manager at the Pilot and the end of my nearly nine-year career as a graphics editor.
As I wrote last month, I’m not real pleased about this. But I understand the business decision behind it. And I’ve worked hard to make the transition as comfortable as possible for my staff and the rest of our newsroom.
Since I’ll no longer be in a leadership role, I feel a little odd maintaining this blog. I’ve polled a number of folks who urged me not to end my work here at VizEds, the Society for News Design and the other forums in which I’ve taught or participated. I’ll keep it going a little longer for now.
In the meantime, please accept my thanks for reading and for the supportive e-mail I’ve received from a number of you.
And please take a moment today to think about my staff. They’ve provided the readers of the Pilot with a lot of really good visual journalism over the years and they’ve made me look awfully smart. I’m going to miss this bunch.
Here’s wishing the happiest New Year to Bob, John, Miranda and Ken. And best holiday wishes to you all.
December 31st, 2007 at 10:47 am
To paraphrase Gen. Douglas MacArthur: Old news artists never die; they just turn the opacity down to zero.
Good luck with the transition, and have a happy new year.
December 31st, 2007 at 11:43 am
Happy new year to everyone!
December 31st, 2007 at 12:16 pm
I really hope you keep this blog going, Charles. The fact that you were in a leadership role never had any impact on how I viewed this blog. The fact is that it has been very informative and enjoyable to read, regardless of whether the person running it has “editor” or “manager” in his title. Good luck, and happy New Year.
December 31st, 2007 at 12:31 pm
Are other papers shrinking their graphics staffs?
December 31st, 2007 at 1:19 pm
I wish you the best and hope that you continue to blog. Your change in position doesn’t affect how you are viewed or the value of your opinion. As long as you are comfortable blogging and have the time, keep on blogging.
Robb,
I would also like to pose the question as to how other graphic departments are changing, in numbers, leadership positions and duties. Maybe someone could put together a poll.
December 31st, 2007 at 1:54 pm
Happy New Year Sir Charles! I DO hope you keep this blog going!
December 31st, 2007 at 3:43 pm
Robb and Cindy,
I hope the example set by the Pilot isn’t a trend. Graphics have always been open to “dabbling” from folks around the newsroom, which is fine, but there’s no substitute for a graphics professional who has a trained eye for envisioning and editing visual data in an efficiency of space. I use a point-and-shoot to snap pictures of my kid, but I wouldn’t dare call myself a “photographer.” I don’t know of many copy editors who call themselves graphics editors because they jury-rig a bar chart from time to time. Leave the crème brûlée to the chefs, I say.
December 31st, 2007 at 4:19 pm
Stephen,
I totally agree, and this is why I am concerned?
December 31st, 2007 at 5:47 pm
I just wanted to say that since I’ve been here at the Virginian-Pilot I’ve had great bosses - Jeff Glick, Eric Seidman and Charles Apple. The change in the visual presentation team will not change my opinion about you, Chuck - you’re a great boss and visual journalist to work for and learn from.
December 31st, 2007 at 6:00 pm
Stephen, My fist job out of J-School was working in graphics at the Sun-Sentinel.
U.S. newspapers tend not to be trend setters - rather they are trend followers. So I am wondering whose model they are following in downsizing graphics.
December 31st, 2007 at 6:54 pm
Good point, Robb. In this case, I don’t think U.S. papers are following a trend per se, unless that trend is the usual, “hey, let’s slash the budget to an obscene new low” kind-of-trend. Nothing’s safe in THAT one. I think it’s more the nature of a good graphics editor’s role. A good editor is invisible and quietly goes about his/her role of making sure every item that makes it into the paper is clean, well-written and balanced. Lose such an editor and you may not see a difference in the short term, but in a budgetary sense, the short term is the only thing some people notice.
I wasn’t calling your street cred into question, btw. :)
December 31st, 2007 at 7:12 pm
Charles, the shakeup in the graphics staff at the Pilot doesn’t diminish at all your accomplishments, nor your standing in the visual journalism community. Everyone with any street credibility (to use Beard’s terminology) in this industry not only knows who you are but what you’ve brought to the table.
That said, I hope it’s not the start of cuts in visuals. Man, 2007 was painful enough. Here’s hoping 2008 reverses, to some extent, the trends we’ve seen over the past decade.
Happy new 2008 to you all!
January 2nd, 2008 at 1:30 am
I’m sad. Working with you people for 12 weeks was amazing! It’s a blessing in disguise…I know it!
January 2nd, 2008 at 9:15 am
I was kind of hoping to be in this business for at least another ten years before galloping off into some sort of retirement transition-thingee, but now it looks like I’ll be lucky if this job even exists in ten years.
Even graphics on the web are a hard sell to those who control the website.
That said, I wouldn’t trade the past 24 years at the Chicago Tribune for anything else. What other job can double as a classroom experience if you are willing to pay attention? The things I’ve learned every single day are priceless to me.
Here’s hoping that we’re all just being a bit too unnecessarily pessimistic.
January 3rd, 2008 at 9:49 am
Hi Charles:
As you know, we went through a transition at the AJC, which was painful and meant changes in duties and titles for many. The landscape is changing rapidly. It was a rough year for everybody. The strongest and smartest will survive. I count you among those. The title does not define whom you are. Your work and character do. And both are beyond reproach.
Keep up the blog and teaching. We need it.
Your friend, Rick
January 3rd, 2008 at 5:26 pm
You’re so right. The Pilot staff was and still is a great bunch to work with. I had the privilege of working alongside Bob, John and Ken. And, I would have loved to work with you and Miranda. The Pilot is fortunate to have you crazy kids. Good luck to you all!
January 3rd, 2008 at 8:40 pm
I agree that you should continue doing this blog. I certainly read your blog because you’re the graphics editor at the Pilot, but I mostly read it because you’re a cool guy who posts great, relevant content.
Hope the transition has gone well and the new arrangement works out.
Good luck.
January 5th, 2008 at 8:42 pm
Charles…I would never say that you were in a leadership postion THEN and not NOW, because leaders are NOT positions, but people! I don’t care what position you are in as long as its comfortable, and communicative. You will be even better for it.
As to cutting graphics, at my paper, The Press Democrat, we had 4 graphics people in May 2007, and when I left in Dec. (not to be replaced) there was just one guy, who has been there for 20 years. He is being folded into the copy desk.