Looks like the dailies’ kid sisters are getting kicked in the mouth again. Funny … we barely have any teeth left. The Ontario government announced Thursday that newspaper subscriptions would be exempt from the new 13 percent harmonized sales tax. That means by June 2010, magazines will stand alone with an eight percent taxation increase.… Continue reading HST exemption for some!

So this is where all those jobless journalists go at night! Street artists Jason Eppink and Posterchild are throwing the print after-party, setting up abandoned newspaper boxes with disco balls, LED lights, handheld radios and cut-out silhouettes. As Eppink wrote, “When the last vestiges of a collapsed empire litter the landscape, there’s only one thing… Continue reading Friday Funny: Party in the Print Box

You’ve probably heard these words one too many times in recent past: layoffs, recession, collapse, destruction and maybe even apocalypse. Unfortunately, these are commonly used terms among folks in the journalism industry lately. While we’re conscious of how serious and troubling the times have become, there’s a part of us that can’t help but take… Continue reading Drown your sorrows at the RRJ’s Pink Slip Party

Last month, The New York Times announced cutbacks, buyouts and possible layoffs, proving that even it isn’t immune to the collapse of journalism as we know it. Most shocking was the reader outcry after executive editor Bill Keller broke the news. “There is a solution to layoffs – start charging for on-line content, I’d pay…seriously.… Continue reading Bring back the (pay) wall

Given the state of the news industry, what with print on the brink of death and all, we should probably figure out how to make money online. An article appeared on poynter.org last Friday, saying that between five and 15 publishers will soon start restricting website access to customers, integrating Journalism Online‘s paid content model.… Continue reading Let’s hope no one notices this pay wall here