Monday, January 25, 2010

Join Us at Displaced Journalists (The Website)



Is there life – or work – after newspapers? A lot of us are in the process of finding out. Because it’s generally a somewhat lonely endeavor, it struck me that it might be comforting – and possibly very productive – to go through it together.
Displaced Journalists is intended to be a community – our community – where we find common ground, where we can begin to pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off and get on with our lives and livelihoods.

We hope our site will be a place where we can build on our tech skills so we can get back in the game or completely reinvent ourselves, hatch new ideas and strategies, and explore whole new fields of study. Either way we still have the brains and the talent that took us so far in our careers.

This will be a forum in which we can learn from defeat and share in our victories. In time, we hope HR specialists and headhunters, in journalism, pubic relations and other fields, will come to Displaced Journalists to find job candidates with the qualities that are unique among seasoned journalists and communicators.

Remember: We know the difference between their, there and they're. Lots of writers these days don't. We come from newsrooms that gave us the mandate and the confidence to interview anybody, anywhere, anytime. We can call government officials and Supreme Court justices at any hour and expect them to pick up. We know how to get inside people's heads, to ask the tough questions and to write about complex matters clearly and concisely. We understand community. And, yes, we do understand the nature of the Internet.

Our skills are still unique and relevant. It’s just the infrastructure that has changed. We can and will find new ways to exercise our talent. Once again we will feel valued and appreciated, and we'll earn a living in the process.