The Unemployed Life
Newspapers Facing Death By 15,000 Cuts. Who Else?
Erica Smith, a graphics designer for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, is a great example of someone who is applying creativity to bad circumstances.
A couple of years ago, Smith started compiling newspaper layoff reports into a mashup map that shows the toll across the country. “I can only update so many at a time without wanting to jump off the ninth floor of the building I live in,” she told the American Journalism Review. A glance at the 2008 Paper Cuts map shows that the hardest hit areas were the population centers—the Northeast, Midwest (especially Michigan), Florida, and California. Smith estimates that more than 15,000 people were laid off last year.
The Post-Dispatch isn’t immune—the paper cut 20 jobs last year. Smith has been spared, but this might be a good time for her to learn terms like “CPM,” “monetization” and “Google AdSense.” Especially since we haven’t come across maps about other industries yet.
Tags: 
Special Sections
Discussion
No comments for “Newspapers Facing Death By 15,000 Cuts. Who Else?”
Post a comment