Comments on: So what REALLY happened with SND?

By: John

John — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 04:25:34 +0000

So, Bonita portrays Matt as the big villain, Bonita basically pushes Matt out, Bonita gets to hire the new SND Execs, Bonita moves up the chain early, Bonita is the lead editor on the â€œofficial versionâ€ of the chronology, Bonita gave us that lame and patronizing online â€œconversation,â€ and Bonita will no doubt ride in on her white shining horse and save the UNC deal. Thatâ€™s an awful lot of Bonita - too much for my liking. I wonâ€™t be renewing.

By: AJ

AJ — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 04:06:13 +0000

I would recommend an experiment. Take your SND membership dues for the coming year and buy a subscription to Lynda.com.
Use it for 1 hour a day - learn the CS4 suite (especially the web pieces) and learn to use your skills on something other than newsprint.
Its a much better investment of your time and money right now.

By: Paul Morgan

Paul Morgan — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 03:10:36 +0000

What’s happening with SND leadership sounds very much like what I encountered in newspaper management, which is why I’m out now. What’s good for the business is thrust aside for favoritism and cliques. Bad writers and designers get prime assignments, all because they can kiss up better than the guy next to them. In almost two years out the business, I have yet to encounter the amount of worthless bickering and petty BS that circulated the places I worked in the newspaper industry.

After 15 years in front of a monitor at newspapers across the nation, I decided enough is enough. So I spent a year studying books and taking online courses after work. I learned enough CSS and HTML and Flash to build a few sites, which allowed me to score a job in marketing design. It ain’t newspapers, but it’s a pretty good gig. And pays pretty well, too.

So learn the tools. It’s not that hard. Build a site. Or design one and have someone else code it. If you don’t, you’ll be the last one designing print. And if SND isn’t branching out in this way, then it’ll be the one turning out the lights for the last time.

By: Harrison Goodman

Harrison Goodman — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 01:39:32 +0000

“But to me this whole kerfuffle has all the gravity of an argument by the prom decorations committee.”

Amen.

The funniest is listening to people bringing up Watergate and whatnot as though what happened involving a miscommunication with UNC is somehow worth bringing up a presidential scandal.

It’d be one thing if Matt was accused of stealing funds or doing something unethical, this whole thing is just ridiculous drama bullshit that is more appropriate for a high school drama class than a bunch of professionals.

Everyone involved in this should be ashamed of themselves. Not only as journalists but as human beings. It’s pathetic.

By: David Putney

David Putney — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 05:40:17 +0000

This whole thing strikes me — and others I was chatting with today — as more funny than tragic. Actually, high-larious would be a better term. Perhaps it’s residual anger over what happened to the late, lamented Link in SND judging a couple years back. We got screwed badly enough that one of the judges wrote to me an apologized. I don’t need the awards, but it would at least be a sign that the organization supposedly preaching innovation recognized that were were trying to innovate.
I’m not designing any more, so I don’t even have a dog in this fight. But to me this whole kerfuffle has all the gravity of an argument by the prom decorations committee.

By: Pai

Pai — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 01:56:18 +0000

Hi Francie,

The meetups are in big cities for now for convenience sake. Because these meetups are free, there is no travel budget to bring in speakers. Speakers donate their time for coming in, and most of them live within the city where the meetup is held, so the cost to them is minimal.

But don’t fret on not making it. The NYC meetup had live Web casts and video posted on the SND Web site. (Other meetups did not unfortunately because of lack of funding or equipment, but transcripts and pdfs were posted.) I am trying to get live Web cast and video done for the meetup in San Francisco on July 18. So cross your fingers, and look for announcements as we get closer to the event. Hope you join us.

By: Francie

Francie — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 23:46:18 +0000

I’d just like to re-visit what I said earlier.

I think it’s nice that SND is starting “meetups” but why are they all in big cities? I live in Iowa. Chicago is 3 hours away. Des Moines is 2. Minneapolis and St. Louis are 5. It’s a pain in the ass to drag myself to a big city, and I don’t have Saturdays off. Would be nice, but hey it’s the newspaper business.

Yeah, I’m sure some will respond “well then organize a meetup!!” But seriously, events don’t have to be in person. We can all virtually raise up a pint; we don’t have to meet at the Billy Goat (although that would be nice). And I don’t mean that as a slam.

By: Gina Dvorak

Gina Dvorak — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 19:18:06 +0000

Thanks for this story. (I should have written that when I read it in the wee hours of this morning. My apologies.)

Also, I was curious whether you’ve talked to any of the Chapel Hill folks. It would be interesting, as well, to get their perspective on all this. Are they willing to deal with anyone who’s left? Should SND be looking to another site altogether? I’m sure there’s plenty of colleges/universities out there who would love to jump in here…

Keep at it! And thanks again!

By: John Telford

John Telford — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 18:17:15 +0000

Just wanted to echo the sentiments expressed time and again by others here. Fantastic job, Charles.

I’m not sure why this story couldn’t have been told by the SND board. I understand the need for discretion, and that a certain amount of privacy is necessary for boards to operate without fear of sensitive conversations getting out and being misconstrued.

But geez folks, it IS possible to speak in generalities without getting personal, without revealing details that need to be private and without the discussion turning into he said/she said/he said and a bunch of finger pointing.

Charles’ piece proved that. Thank you, Charles, for handling this the right way. Perhaps someone on the SND board is taking notes.

By: Ben Ramsden

Ben Ramsden — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 18:06:42 +0000

Thanks, Charles.

I hope SND gets its act together. And I hope it’s not too late.