David Simon, call your office
Via Jeffrey Goldberg, a CQ editor has apparently been fired for daring to speak up in the midst of widespread lay-offs. An email he fired off to management before the firing is pretty badass:
The newsroom needs to hear in person from those who are responsible for today’s announcement. Someone in authority should appear before us to attempt to justify the actions announced.
In July, when the sale of CQ was announced, we were told that both Roll Call and CQ are profitable.
We were told that the Economist and CQ had many shared values.
We were told that “there is a higher purpose to what we do.”
We were told that the people in the company were highly valued.And now this.
What possible justification can there be for throwing people out of their jobs simply to make MORE money?
I admire his resolve… but wonder if it’s good form to initiate this conversation in an e-mail broadcast to the entire editorial staff. Doing it more privately–directly to the managers–doesn’t allow him to express his concerns publicly. Doesn’t allow him to gain the admiration of his staff and co-workers. Etc.
Kind of like a baseball manager kicking dirt on the umpire; it never results in a changed call. But it does allow him to signal his outrage. The difference being that the baseball manager doesn’t work for the umpire. If he did, more discretion might be in order.Report