Letters from the week of April 2

After several posts on Plog (The Pitch‘s news blog at pitch.com) reported on recent layoffs at The Kansas City Star and business editor Chris Lester’s non-layoff departure for a job at the Chamber of Commerce, some commenters paid their respects:

“As someone who works at a mainstream paper, I can tell you that those who work at alternative papers do not have more passion than those of us working for a daily or weekly owned by a major corporation. I tend to think anyone who gets into the journalism field has a complete dedication to print, mostly because if they didn’t, they’d leave after the first week. Seventy-hour workweeks for very little pay? Constantly dealing with people who suspect we’re biased? Seeing friends and co-workers being laid off? Pay cuts? Yeah. That sounds like a thrill ride. I doubt very many people actually think of those staff writers — the first-year journalists writing police reports and accident stories. The ones typing up obits (still the most well-read page in the paper) and wedding announcements. We make very little and are looking at a dying field; our jobs may not exist in five years. And we still come to work every day, trying to get those stories written and sent online/to print so people can have the (accurate) information quickly. Yeah, I’d say we have passion.” 

— Anonymous

“Oh, the Internet: How much easier it makes our job, the researching and fact-checking part of the job. Thank God it has not figured out how to write stories for us. That is the only skill that distinguishes us anymore. It is a great profession, a privilege to have worked in it, a quarter-century of fascination, excitement, education. A job that pays you to learn and slaps your hand when you don’t get it right. That’s fair enough. Increases the excitement. For me, it all began 28 years ago in Lawrence, then KC, Phoenix, Dallas, New York and London. What else would have taken me so many places, always demanding the best of me, the end coming fast but not without warning. The whole thing is sad, but less sad than many of the stories I wrote.” 

— Oogles

“[Former Star books editor] John Mark Eberhart gave me my start as a book reviewer. I’d written a lot of computer journalism — software reviews and articles for PC World, InfoWorld, and quite a few other major and not-so major computer magazines for years. But I’d never written and published a book review, something I’d always wished I’d done. I sent out multiple queries to several newspaper editors. Eberhart was the only book editor interested…. Not only did Eberhart publish my book reviews, but his Books section was one of the few in major newspapers (maybe the only one) that published poems by local authors. Usually it’s the younger writer who thanks the older master for giving him his start. I’m half a decade older than Eberhart, but thanks, John Mark.” 

— Joe Peschel  

“I am sorry to see Chris Lester leave The Star. I had the great fortune in my career to compete against him when he was the City Hall beat reporter, and I did the same for KMBZ 980. We competed against each other fiercely, and I respected him more than most newspaper reporters whom I encountered in my 33-year career. A few years later, after going to work for Bill Johnson at Business Radio KPHN 1190, I got to work with Chris when The Star and 1190 partnered to air business news in Kansas City. It’s a relationship I’ll always remember because I didn’t just get to work with Chris; I also became close to Jennifer Mann, Diane Stafford and Jerry Heaster. I’m no longer in the journalism business, and soon, Chris will no longer be in the business as well. I know he will miss The Star but I know he will be energized using the skill and experience he crafted so well over the years.”

— Scott Simon

“Star readers will be poorer without Chris Lester’s input. Among the things Chris will no doubt miss: no opportunity to quote punk-rock lyrics in writings for his new gig.” 

— Rick