Silver lining: Job offers pop up in Philly blog comments

Posted by: Stephen Baker on January 03

Dan Rubin blogs sadly as 71 colleagues at the Philadelphia Inquirer get pink slips from the new owner. This should serve as a warning to LA Times staffers who are looking for locals to rescue their paper (and jobs) from the Tribune Company.

But look at what pops up in Blinq’s comments! It’s a recruiting note from Denise Bridges at the Virginian-Pilot:

We are not a “big” newspaper like the Philadelphia Inquirer, nor are we a union newspaper. But we are the largest newspaper in Virginia and we are 50th largest in the country. We have three Pulitzer Prizes, a privately held corporate parent (Landmark Communications) and a short drive from the beach. And we’ve also got a few job openings that some of your folks may be interested in. We are seeking a copy desk chief (#740), a sports layout/copy editor (#855), a designer (#1050), and a reporter for our Chesapeake bureau (#1001).

I sometimes come across strange juxtapositions when searching for more links. I looked at Google news for more articles on the Inquirer, and I found a piece about a prominent Philadelphia figure who some might say “lost” his position in the city. This from Allen Iverson, recently traded to Denver:

“Things still linger, and I still feel bitter about the way things happened,” Iverson told the Philadelphia Inquirer. “It didn’t have to happen like that, and I think I deserved a lot more respect than I got. These people had the chance to give me the respect I deserve, and they weren’t willing to do that. So why should I try to give any respect back?”

Read quotes like that and it becomes clear that that if we fail to keep a glimmer of perspective (and it’s easy to fail), we can make millions and bask in thunderous applause—and still we can find a way, somehow, to feel like victims.