Extra! Extra! Hope After a Media Layoff or Buyout

A couple months ago, one of my friends and former newspaper editors told me that she might be facing a buyout decision at the end of the year. At the time, I had no advice to offer—I left the newspaper industry in 1999, and I never had to face such a gut-wrenching decision.

But after our e-mail exchange, I couldn’t stop thinking about my former editor and all the other friends of mine who are still working as full-time staffers in the newspaper and publishing industries. Every day, Newspaper Deathwatch and other sources continue to report more troubling news about layoffs, buyouts, declining ad revenues, and folding publications. And every day, I worry about my friends. I hope that they make the right career moves and decisions. And I hope they know that there is life and work beyond traditional newspaper and other media jobs.

As much as I’d like to, I can’t shield my friends and former colleagues from the sea changes that are happening in the newspaper and publishing industries right now. But after talking to my former editor, I decided to help in one of the only ways I know how: I wrote a story.

Today, my article, “Follow the Money: Evaluating a Buyout Offer,” is online at mediabistro.com. To read the piece, you’ll need full mediabistro.com membership status. (And if you don’t already have a membership, consider getting one. Mine has consistently paid for itself several times over.)

In the article, I talked to several people who have faced a buyout decision and have successfully moved on to other exciting opportunities. Of course, I couldn’t quote myself in the article. But the message that I really was trying to deliver in the article was a big dose of hope.

If you read the story, you’ll see that facing a media buyout offer or layoff is NOT the end of the world. For many, a layoff or buyout often is the springboard to something much bigger, better, and more lucrative. There will always be a need for people who know how to communicate and write well. And despite economic conditions, there are still many opportunities for people who continue to expand the definition of what they do, and refuse to get boxed in by current or former job titles and I’ve-always-done-it-this-way kind of thinking.

I also want people to know or remember that there is no shame in getting laid off or facing a buyout decision—if it happens to you, know that it is not a reflection on you or your talents. These events are simply a function of a struggling industry.

But if you have the luxury right now and you’re still in a full-time staff job, I do have some strong advice: Begin mapping out your Plan B, C, D, and even E. Creating options for yourself can help empower you at a time when you might feel powerless to change the state of the industry or the health of your employer.

Many people in the newspaper, magazine, and publishing industries are finding new freedom and opportunities as freelancers. With this blog, I hope to help existing freelancers find and maintain success. But I’m also hoping to help full-time staffers in the newspaper and magazine industries make the transition into full-time (or even part-time) freelancing if that’s what they want to pursue as a second act.

Sure, there are many things to be concerned about in the media industry right now. But I think it’s also a time of great opportunity with the right mindset, tools, and information. My hope is that I can help fill your toolbox and provide encouragement as you grow your career in new, exciting directions.

If any of you have questions that I can help answer about transitioning into full-time freelancing, please let me know, and I’ll do my best to address them here at The Golden Pencil. I’m always interested in hearing from my readers, so drop me a line and let me know what you’re thinking!

Best,

Jenny

Photo source: Vin Crosbie (Flickr)