A quick tip o’ the hat to Jim Hopkins of the Gannett Blog
Yes, Jim Hopkins — the Gannett Blog guy — is calling it quits.
At midnight tonight, Jim will shut down the blog he’s made famous over the past few years reporting Gannett company insider news, layoff information, financial shenanigans and other interesting stuff since September 2007.
A 1989 graduate of Brown University, Jim worked as a reporter and editor for 20 years at various papers around the country, ending up at USA Today. His blog gets more than 100,000 page views and 10,000 unique visitors a month.
He wrote earlier this month that he was ending the blog for two main reasons:
- He’s been neglecting his health. Giving up blogging will allow him time to get himself back into shape.
- He always intended to give up the Gannett Blog after two or three years anyway.
Jim wrote:
I may also pursue film/online video training next year, once I’ve returned to San Francisco. I’ve received positive encouragement from people far more expert than me, based on the videos I’ve knocked out with only my MacBook and YouTube as my publishing platform.
And, of course, Jim went out with a huge bang. Gannett made a huge number of layoffs this week. His blog, most likely, was as busy as ever.
Fabulous job, Jim. Your work has been outstanding. You will be missed.
Find a wonderful Wall Street Journal piece here that recounts many of Jim’s exploits. Find Jim’s YouTube channel here.
Find an alternative source for Gannett news — Gannettoid, to which Jim says he’ll redirect visitors to his blog — here. Find a nice story from the Nieman Journalism Lab that examines other corporate-specific blogs and news sites here.