I’m Darren Samuelsohn, and thanks for listening to The love, journalism Show. This is the sixth installment of my podcast mini-series featuring conversations with my former colleagues at The Messenger. (Part I, Part II, Part III, Part IV and Part V are here).
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My former Messenger colleagues have banded together since we all lost our jobs.
On any given day we’re sharing lengthy and encouraging text chains about someone finding work or a job interview. A Slack channel shares tips on mental health and getting a good night’s sleep.
We’ve created a new sense of community that didn’t exist when we were all busy writing and editing an endless stream of stories. It’s been a big help after the sudden end to our digital media company that had been the focus of so much intense media scrutiny.
Here on this sixth installment on The Messenger’s end, I gathered together former politics breaking news editor Geoff Rowland and three of our top reporters: Lindsey McPherson covered Congress; James LaPorta wrote about national security and defense; and Ben White, the chief Wall Street correspondent.
It’s a pretty fascinating conversation about our failed digital startup where we discuss our roles at the company, its startup culture, management issues, plus the media coverage and criticism that swirled during our company's collapse.
One more thing: Please consider donating to this GoFundMe page organized for and by ex-employees of The Messenger to help my fellow former colleagues during this uncertain period.
Our company’s nearly 300-person staff was let go on Jan. 31 without severance or healthcare of any kind.
All the funds collected from this campaign will go to help former employees cover bills, living expenses, medicine, groceries, childcare, and health insurance costs, among others.
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Episode 20: Bouncing back from a newsroom's demise