With virtually every major publishing house cutting back on staff, they’re also cutting back on expenses. However, Time Inc., one company that has been placed on the spotlight for their ongoing layoffs to come, does not seem to be following such a sentiment. A little more than a month ago, they announced that they planned to lay off more than 600 employees from each of their major publications. But at the same time, Gawker recently reported that People, one of TIme Inc.’s largest sources of revenue, has spent more than $25 million on their covers in the last year. With 18 employees from editorial being laid off from the very same magazine, how does this make sense as far as cutting back on expenses?

Jessica Gatdula

There are a handful of professional and non-profit organizations that journalists of all kinds benefit from, such as the Society of Professional Journalists and the American Society of Magazine Editors. But what about more specialized organizations? How important is it to be involved with them? A few posts back, Adrienne mentioned the Society for the Promotion of Good Grammar. A similar organization that is more reputable is the American Copy Editors Society. These organizations mainly serve as a platform for networking and community building. Do you think actively participating in any one of these organizations can help future employment? (The ongoing question, of course..)

Jessica Gatdula

Stemming off of Professor Keith’s post about programs/skills that I wish I had a better grasp on, I think my current answer would be Adobe InCopy.

As a prospective magazine copy editor, it seems like knowing how to use this program before entering the industry would be invaluable. This is especially so since it is used in conjunction with Adobe InDesign, which is the Desktop Publishing program of choice for most major magazines.

InCopy description: http://www.adobe.com/products/incopy/

I think this is one program that emphasizes one of the biggest connections copy editors have between editing and design. I was not even made aware of such a program until my current internship, where I frequently receive InCopy printouts for me to fact-check before pages are sent to print.

What other programs, such as InCopy, should prospective copy editors have a relatively familiar grasp on before they enter this industry? And how are we expected to be familiar with such programs if they are not taught in the classroom?

Jessica Gatdula

http://cpj.org/imprisoned/cpjs-2008-census-online-journalists-now-jailed-mor.php

I found this article late into the night but thought that it would be very important to post here in the blog. If you have time to come back, just offer instant opinions to the stats presented into your comments. I thought that this article was fascinating and just speaks about the new mediumsin this day and age.

One interesting topic I thought about regarding editing and ethics regards Opinion Editorials, or the OpEd page in newspapers. A friend of mine recently wrote a piece in the Editorial section of the newspaper regarding Coach C. Vivian Stringer and disparaging comments she made about her own team, calling them midgets.

http://www.dailytargum.com/opinions/1.1048159

I just have a few questions about editorials. How do editors go about editing a piece such as an editorial, where most of the piece regards opinions about certain topics in the news? Can you call the writer to discuss if he meant what he wrote and attributed, like some editors do with their reporters? What standards to people who write editorials have in terms of journalistic ethics and possible cases with  libelous remarks?

Edward Figueroa

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27578186/

In the article above, Eminem’s mother explains how her lawyer filed a suit for defamation even though it wasn’t what she really wanted to do. She then continues to explain how his label called her to keep it up because they were selling records. What are your thoughts on this? Does this make defamation alright in this case? Is there ever a right time for defamation? Does the reader even believe his mother’s claims in this article, especially after all the publicity surrounding his autobiographical lyrics? Who, then, does the audience believe and trust?

You MUST check out this website –> http://www.quarkvsindesign.com/

Everything from design program updates, instructions on how to use the programs, to the advantages each has over the other.

Perhaps the most hilarious part of this site, and something I think we can all appreciate, is the site’s history of the battle between the design programs. Beginning with the rise of PageMaker and Quark, the fight for the digital design king started. “The battle between PageMaker and Quark, each releasing new versions rapidly to trump its competitor with better creative and production features, was fierce. And, the Desktop Publishing War claimed many casualties.”

However, sloppy coding and programming mistakes caused PageMaker to lose footing. However, “since winning the War, Quark had become over confident and complacent. It was ubiquitous, a mandatory tool in design and print production. It was king of every hill, and, without PageMaker at its hip, clawing for the throne, Quark’s pace of rapid innovation slowed and all but ceased. “

It wasn’t over yet. “While Quark was resting on its laurels, Adobe was quietly building its secret weapon, the real reason Adobe purchased Aldus. “

Quark’s reign may soon come to an end. “For many years Quark was sedentary, a sleeping giant atop its cloud-high hill. Now its hill is terribly eroded, the bulk of the mass having been torn out and molded into a new hill beneath InDesign’s rising throne. Though slow to wake over the last few years, the teetering has finally roused the giant.”

“Now there is a new challenger to Quark’s absolute supremacy of the world’s printed communications. The newcomer is a sleek, nimble, and sexy challenger quickly building itself into a trendy lovemark. Quark, however, is an established, powerful juggernaut in whose way no previous challenger has long stood.”

“Desktop Publishing War II will be far, far more bloody than the first.”

SO hilarious! The site has so much content it would be impossible to encompass it all on here. Check out the site, definitely a must for anyone really interested in design.

-Kristen Majewski

So I just read an article published in Nov. that outlines the Oprah defamation case (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27894332/) and how she is asking them to not take the case to trial. In the article, she is accused of stating that the ex-headmistress of her girls school doesn’t care for the children. The ex-headmistress is now taking her to court on grounds of defamation. Oprah denies that she said anything defamatory. After what we’ve just learned about libel, what do you think will happen? What do you think should happen? If Oprah goes to court, how will this affect her as a media mogul?

I wanted to update this post with a list of popular magazines that folded, but as the list grows everyday it became a more intense project then I had planned. As the job market becomes more depressing it’s hard not wonder if those of us who always dreamt of working at a magazine will never have this goal realized. Just the other day at my internship my boss was discussing with some colleagues which magazines they will think fold next. Among these magazines was Nylon, a magazine everyone agreed “never made any money before, so why should they now?” Not even ten minutes later I got an email from my boss saying that Nylon had an entry-level position open that would be perfect for me. When I responded asking if it was smart to take a job at a magazine that seems doomed to be another victim of the present economy, she said, “Hunnie, you need to take anything you can get right now.” Awesome.

Some Optimism

The most influential website of my college career has been Ed2010.com. If you are not acquainted with this website and want to break into the magazine industry, you need to check it out immediately. From this website I found connections to help me get both of my internships and I have emailed them at least a dozen times for advice on everything from interviews to finding a job.

Recently, they posted this article that has given me hope in finding a job in this awful time.

http://www.ed2010.com/2008/12/eds-who-got-jobs-bad-economy-tell-all – check it out, I hope it gives you at least a faint glimmer of hope in this RecessMas season (get it? Recession? Christmas?). Also, check out Ed’s blog at

http://www.ed2010speaks.blogspot.com/. He (whoever he is… I think it‘s God), blogs about everything from his own personal experience to the job of a junior-editor. Both his blogs are an excellent place to get real word advice about the magazine industry or at the very least, a good laugh!

I’ve been looking through various newspaper design websites and have been looking for tips to make a good photo page and ran into this illustration. It seemed like a useful and easy reference so I decided to post it. Some aspects the website emphasized for newspaper design were balance, contrast, rhythm, unity and harmony.

Also, I’ve been doing research on color used in newspapers and the boldest and most colorful newspaper that comes to mind is USA TODAY. What do you all think about audiences being attracted to old-school newspapers like New York Times versus colorful graphic-filled publications like USA TODAY? Are people more attracted to the bundles of text NY Times offers or the pictures and signature graphs in the bottom left of USA TODAY?

-Christine Tran