The Baltimore Sun is Absolutely Heartless, and Tim Wheatley is a Gutless Sports Editor
Media Gossip/Musings April 30th. 2009, 10:00am
There’s no question that the newspaper business has fallen into a bottomless pit of despair, but this has to be one of the most depressing stories we’ve read from the industry:
(Tough times in the newspaper biz. Two writers for the Baltimore Sun in the press box here got the news — by phone during the game — that they had been laid off in the latest round of cost-cutting. Stay classy, Baltimore Sun management.) (UPDATE: Make that three reporters and a photographer axed by the Sun during the game.)
Once, we heard a story about a guy at a magazine getting called into a corner office and being told he was fired; upon returning to his desk, a security guard was waiting there to escort him out. At least a dozen people witnessed this. We thought that was the pits.
But calling someone in the press box in the middle of the game and telling them they’re fired? Inexcusable. According to this site, the Sun trimmed two columnists from its roster yesterday (David Steele and Rick Maese). Another horrible day for the print media.
If anyone alerts David Simon to this, there will be blood.
[UPDATE: More details here. The Baltimore Sun writer who was all slated to cover the Kentucky Derby this weekend has been let go. Also axed: Ray Frager, who was one of their top bloggers. via Deitsch]
Angels 3, Orioles 2 (game updates) (OC Register)
22 Responses to “The Baltimore Sun is Absolutely Heartless, and Tim Wheatley is a Gutless Sports Editor”
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April 30th, 2009 at 10:03 am
Tim Wheatley was one of my students. And if this wasn’t my son’s wedding day, I’d knock your teeth out you anti-dentite bastard.
/Hernia’d
April 30th, 2009 at 10:04 am
To be fair, if you didn’t have to watch an Orioles game, wouldn’t you want to be notified immediately?
April 30th, 2009 at 10:06 am
Those guys must have enjoyed their “last free supper” in the press box. I would have eaten like I was going to the chair.
I still think the worst firing story I heard was the nurse who was fired in the middle of a surgery. How’d you like to be the patient she was assisting on?
April 30th, 2009 at 10:06 am
Happens pretty much everywhere, every day.
April 30th, 2009 at 10:07 am
Crooked is absolutely right. They were being kind.
April 30th, 2009 at 10:07 am
wow. that’s a headline!
April 30th, 2009 at 10:09 am
Clown, that was great.
April 30th, 2009 at 10:11 am
Once, we heard a story about a guy at a magazine getting called into a corner office and being told he was fired; upon returning to his desk, a security guard was waiting there to escort him out. At least a dozen people witnessed this. We thought that was the pits.
Happens pretty much everywhere, every day.
My wife was in charge of a corporate layoff a two years ago and they had three sets of local police brought in to “help the people to their cars” after they got whacked.
April 30th, 2009 at 10:16 am
I hope the photographer went home with all the camera/equipment.
April 30th, 2009 at 10:22 am
Pretty standard on that firing story, I was at a company where there was rumors of layoffs. One day you show up and there was security guards all over the place, you walk up to the door and some guy you’ve never met looks over a list for your name, if you’re on the list you’re escorted to a conference room, fired, and you stuff has already been boxed up and is waiting for you.
Unfortunately my name wasn’t on the list, I quit a few months later and didn’t get a paid vacation.
April 30th, 2009 at 10:36 am
The real world is cut-throat.
I can’t wait to get out of the newspaper biz. But this job market blows, so it’s tough.
April 30th, 2009 at 10:38 am
Is there something that wrong with this? Maybe the escort was a little much, but not something worth wringing your hands over. If the guy was “fired,” then I see no issue with a security escort. If the guy was “laid off,” then the security escort was overkill.
I know a lot of people use the terms “fired,” and “laid off” interchangeably, but they’re vastly different. If someone does something bad enough to get fired (especially in this day and age of frivolous lawsuits paralyzing companies into feeling like they can’t fire anyone), then they probably deserve a security escort.
Just my two cents.
And, full disclosure, I’m an HR guy (employee relations, specifically)
April 30th, 2009 at 10:40 am
Spent a bit of time at that paper as an intern and freelancer. It’s absolutely depressing to see so many people I knew there now without jobs.
Probably the best report of the layoffs is at this blog.
April 30th, 2009 at 10:48 am
Welcome to the real world, ace.
April 30th, 2009 at 11:05 am
Assuming she was terminated for a fire-able offense, he’s probably glad they didn’t wait until afterward
April 30th, 2009 at 11:11 am
Also, Tim Wheatly is a Re-Gifter. What a bum
April 30th, 2009 at 11:23 am
Assuming she was terminated for a fire-able offense, he’s probably glad they didn’t wait until afterward
@VYS: agreed, but she was just laid off, along w/ 90 others
http://www.procprblog.com/nurse-laid-off-in-the-middle-of-surgery
April 30th, 2009 at 12:30 pm
I can’t wait until the Wash Post gives Jason LaCanfora the axe.
April 30th, 2009 at 12:38 pm
Hey, TBL, another celeb reading your blog. Welcome, Toby Flenderson!
April 30th, 2009 at 12:43 pm
toby thought he had a chance with pam. that was funny.
April 30th, 2009 at 1:05 pm
Here’s something to consider that few are doing especially in this Little Depression (not even up for “discussion” in my view when GM and Chrysler have failed in reality already and are closing plants and dealerships). If you were ever a manager who had anything to do with laying off employees, you’ll probably have to look over your shoulders some of the rest of your life if you’ve laid off more than 10.
I remember we had our own version of “Lumberg” (from the film “Office Space”; if you have not seen it and are younger than 30, that is how it was in the ’90s) at IBM, and woe to that bitch and others like her when someone crosses their paths.
The HR guy above is right. My brother is an HR guy too.
Depending on the state, what follows is a battle for unemployment benefits. The company will always try to make it look like you did something wrong to try to fool you into not filing for unemployment, to which in most states you will be entitled during a mass-layoff or anything short of criminal or illegal conduct. Often they’ll just bust your balls to try to get you to quit. Many smaller companies will contest your application for benefits hoping that you don’t show, in which case they win by default.
Again, check your state’s laws don’t argue with me here on that, as I have lived or worked in five of them.
Most of the time any problem you have with your employer comes down to your employer not wanting to pay unemployment after they get rid of you, and in most cases they can’t have it both ways. That’s why you have a lot of losers wherever you work still around even though they are not doing their jobs well as management decides to get on your case to make it look like they are doing something even though you probably are.
And that’s why also there is plenty of discrimination against all types of folks with regard to lay-offs or firings.
April 30th, 2009 at 6:31 pm
Too bad, David Steele and Rick Maese were decent columnist, for the Sun anyway. They should have axed Mike Preston for always hating on Ray-Ray in every column. That guy’s a real D-bag. Funny thing is I’m reading this after watching the first episode of The Wire when Sun reporters are talking about layoffs at the paper. Life imitating art.