Stephen Stirling

I’m an editor at Gannett. I manage 4 reporters and lead the investigative and data work at the Asbury Park Press in NJ.

This week, I’m on mandatory furlough.

I appreciate the time with my family, but it is a truly horrid time of year to take away a portion of anyone’s salary.

I make $70K a year. I’m grateful for it. But I’m a single dad with two kids. It hurts.

The employees of this company deserve better. At the very least, they deserve to be paid what the company agreed to pay them.

Dec 26, 2022 at 12:56pmWeb
Show threadStephen StirlingDec 26, 2022

Appreciate the attention this has received!

My only intention was to do just that: Highlight an issue that’s affecting journalists across the US this month. There are many, many more in my position. We do it for every other industry, we need to do it for ourselves.

Love the staff where I work. Looking forward to producing great journalism in 2023. There’s so much to do.

That said, we need to talk openly about these things.

Show threadDean Baratta بطبطبطDec 26, 2022
@Sstirling y’all do great work! I spent most of my career working in the Garden State and I always appreciated when y’all covered stories about our work.
Show threadStephen StirlingDec 26, 2022
@TwShiloh Aw thanks! We have a very talented staff. Can only speak for myself but none of this shakes my resolve on delivering good journalism.
Show threadTroed SångbergDec 26, 2022
@Sstirling Sorry to hear that. The US employment system/laws are truly awful (and I say that as an ex. global manager who had employees in several different European countries as well as two US states).
Show threadVoronDec 26, 2022
@Sstirling Most U.S. companies give no Fs, employees are just a cost on the accounting balance sheet to me minimized as much as possible to maximize profits.
Show threadYannisDec 26, 2022
@voron you are mostly correct on this. Take out the first two words though, and you are 100% spot on.
Show threadHolz2735Dec 26, 2022
@voron @Sstirling
Slaves with invisible chains
Show threadAlgernon D'AmmassaDec 26, 2022
@Sstirling Salute from New Mexico. I left Gannett in November and now work for a local paper Gannett sold off to a local publisher.
Show threadThirdTier AmyDec 26, 2022
@Sstirling I’m sure it does hurt. As a business owner I can say that no decisions are taken without employees being the top consideration. It’s an awesome responsibility
Show threadStephen StirlingDec 26, 2022
@thirdtier I respect that responsibility. I don’t feel I can publicly rebut, though, without potentially threatening my job. That, to me, says something about these situations in and of itself.
Show threadSally StrangeDec 26, 2022
@thirdtier @Sstirling You can't seriously believe this is normal for most business owners
Show threadThirdTier AmyDec 26, 2022
@SallyStrange @Sstirling yes it is. I own three small businesses and they are three types of consulting firms. All three work with small businesses. One of them is M&A consulting and I see business owners everytime sacrifice their own best interest to insure the best future for their employees.
Show threadSally StrangeDec 26, 2022
@thirdtier @Sstirling What part of that makes you think your experiences are representative?
Show threadBarbara KrasnoffDec 26, 2022
@thirdtier @SallyStrange @Sstirling As with everything, it depends. I worked in a small startup in which the owner was very respectful of his employees, and in a small company in which the husband and wife owners were only interested in demonstrating their power over their employees. You can't generalize.
Show threadSally StrangeDec 26, 2022
@barbk @thirdtier @Sstirling You can generalize. If his experiences were representative, we wouldn't have unions. The existence of unions suggests that his experiences are the exception, not the rule
Show threadeepieDec 26, 2022
@Sstirling the state of Old journalism, newspaper: the demand is shrinking as the need rises…a company pushed really hard at its investigative journalism…recently, the only stories i see are “ambulance chaser” stores, sad to see, it appears they threw in the towel to stay afloat….SAD
Show threadStefano Pacifico 🧬 🇺🇦Dec 26, 2022
@Sstirling Stephen how can we help?
Show threadStephen StirlingDec 26, 2022

@stefpac that’s very sweet! No need to help.

I’m one of scores in this position. I just think attention should be called to it, just like journalists do with any other industry.

We don’t get anywhere without honest discussion.

Show threadAprilShowers99452871Dec 26, 2022
@Sstirling
Employees should earn salaries plus have property taxes paid by their employer. Novel concept but time for real life consideration.
Show threadVivian CreekmoreDec 26, 2022
@Sstirling I love newspapers -- especially local newspapers. I want to see them thrive and I want to see reporters making a good secure living. Good luck, Stephen!
Show thread𝔹𝕣𝕚𝕥𝔹𝕝𝕠𝕜𝕖 🌹Dec 26, 2022
@Sstirling Sorry to hear your plight. I was scrolling through 🐘 looking for local media and found you. Local print is dismal, what with #APP/Gannett (I will check out your byline in future) and the risible #TriCityNews pamphlet. I like the look of the new NJ-Indy, but maybe that's because it reads like it's written by ageing hippies and armchair revolutionaries for ageing hippies and armchair revolutionaries like me...
#RedBankNJ #JerseyShore #MonmouthNJ 🌹
Show threadStephen StirlingDec 26, 2022

@BritBloke We put out some great work so def keep a look out! There’s a pretty robust indie scene in NJ too. Nothing huge, but a lot of smaller operations sprouting up in recent years.

Not sure who’s here yet, but here’s a good list if you’re still searching: https://centerforcooperativemedia.org/members/

Our Members - Center for Cooperative Media

The Center for Cooperative Media works with more than 250 media partners and freelancers across New Jersey, including hyperlocal digital publishers, public media, newspapers, television outlets, radio stations and multimedia news organizations.

Center for Cooperative Media
Show threadComics Outta ContextDec 26, 2022
@Sstirling I know others who work for these monsters in the same position - again - as you this week, and I am so sorry. The timing itself is maliciously cruel and was surely chosen to send a message. Thank you for covering your community as best as you’re allowed. Thank you for not giving up on the craft. The actions of these monsters show show how essential you are through their brutal bids to demoralize and destroy you.
Show threadHolz2735Dec 26, 2022
@Sstirling
Ever since Ronald Reagan employees have been treated like slaves. Companies have zero loyalty to them and consequently deserve none from them.
Employees need to realize they as re not valued as pwrsons and do as little as possible, get away with as much as possible, and take what they can.
Before Reagan there was profit sharing, benefits, holiday and other bonuses.
What is drastically needed are strong national unions.
Show threadMichael GartenbergDec 26, 2022
@Sstirling that's awful. When I lived on Bradley Beach the APP was the only paper worth reading. Gutting of local news is awful, much better informed on the things that matter to me than I get from the big outlets.
Show threadStephen StirlingDec 26, 2022
@Gartenberg Thanks for the kind words! We still have a talented staff. This sucks, but remain excited to get back at it in 2023.
Show threadMichael GartenbergDec 26, 2022
@Sstirling that's great to hear. You're an important and underappreciated resource. Thanks for all you do.
Show threadPDPDec 26, 2022
@Sstirling My husband and I worked in newspaper journalism. I ducked out first into grad school and book publishing and then academia. He left after working every Sunday, nights, every Thanksgiving, missing time with our kids, having his employer eliminate all retirement contributions, and having the health insurance deductible raised to $10k. The newspaper where we met celebrated its 175th anniversary recently, and we participated in the festivities. It’s a great, tough profession.
Show threadStephen StirlingDec 26, 2022
@PDP It is indeed! Love it to death, to levels I don’t understand sometimes. The sacrifices aren’t openly discussed enough.
Show threadnikhileshdeDec 26, 2022
@Sstirling that is absolutely ridiculous. Good luck, and hope Gannett management gets their act together ASAP!
Show threadKaren StrickholmDec 26, 2022
@Sstirling I am a single woman, disabled. I live off of $24k a year, out of which I have to pay medical expenses for care not covered by Medicare or Medicaid, food, housing. It's appalling. #DisabilityMatters
Show threadDebbie SeltzerDec 26, 2022
@Sstirling To the degree they are failing to pay you the amount that was specified in your job offer/contract--and if you can document that--you could have a legal opening--along with your colleagues. But lacking a union (I assume), they would almost certainly retaliate against you. Employment "protection" in the U.S. is appalling.
Show threadmary angela perna✅Dec 26, 2022
@Sstirling ❤️❤️
Show threadFootnotedDec 26, 2022
@Sstirling Hmmm…wonder if they’re still paying for the golf club membership for their ex-CFO as I wrote about in 2011? https://www.footnoted.com/at-gannett-easing-the-way-for-dubow/ #journalism #perks
At Gannett, easing the way for Dubow… — footnoted*

Show threadMkeenoDec 27, 2022
@Sstirling gannet basically shud down our local paper. And stiffed me on the return of $76 when I canceled.
Show threadRoseFromNJ/PhillyDec 27, 2022
@Sstirling Totally agree with you!
Show threadsilverhorsemanDec 31, 2022
@Sstirling
Almost all the papers in my state belong to Gannett.
Basically, they are slowly closing all the papers they bought.
So, why did they buy them??
Serious question.