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Date Posted: 06:44:43 05/05/16 Thu
Author: Helen of Troy Hill
Subject: Re: The PG's upGruv
In reply to: Page Hit-Person 's message, "Re: The PG's upGruv" on 15:05:00 05/04/16 Wed

First, I think the premise of your thesis: that one needs newspaper experience in order to run the digital side of a newsroom, is flat-out wrong. That's the kind of backwards thinking that has the PG in the mess it's in, quite frankly.

Second, you can't fight a war against shrinking ad revenue when your generals won't give you the necessary ammunition. That's the predicament Mila is in. The fact she's been able to get anything done is a testament to her perseverance.

Third (and I know this will get pushback from the board trolls, but have at it) anyone who has ever worked in a newsroom knows that personality and leadership skills count for a lot more than the length of a resume, fairly or unfairly. You'll challenge this, I'm sure, but it's true.
Ask anyone who has worked directly under Mila and they will tell you she's a great boss. Unlike most of her fellow PG managers, Mila regularly goes to bat for her team, and protects them as best she can from the idiocy that surrounds the PG's digital efforts. No other supervisor in that newsroom is as respected by their team as Mila is by hers. In a newsroom with almost non-existent morale, that kind of manager counts for a hell of a lot.

The Guild leadership repeatedly states it wants to keep things status quo, so they'll resist anyone who suggests change, including Mila. Maybe that means asking reporters who write one story a month to step it up a bit, or trying to get photographers to learn video skills. Both of those goals sound reasonable, right? Both have been challenged by the Guild executive committee.

So the fact that the "status quo" Guild exec committee dislike someone who's revered by her direct reports shows pretty clearly who bears the brunt of responsibility for the newsroom's problems. Everyone's afraid of the bullies who run the Guild. Even its own membership. Until they're replaced, the PG's digital efforts will remain mired where they are.

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