Journalism in the 21st Century

I was in New Orleans to interview a professor at a university when the talk came up about the Times-Picayune impending layoffs. "It's very depressing," I told a PR. "I interviewed there last year. I was upset when they didn't hire me, but now I get it. There was a hiring freeze." The PR said indeed, it was depressing. "This is the only business in which people will just give their work away." Really? "What about actors? Musicians?" He: "People pay for tickets to see a play." Perhaps. I said goodbye, walking down that hot, muggy Canal Street despite having 1.25 left over for the street car. Suddenly, I was nervous that in my profession, without watching each penny I'd soon be on the streets. --- Since leaving my last full-time job in Jan. 2008, at least three of my girlfriends have been laid off or "downsized." Some have reinvented themselves beautifully: launching magazines, web sites, radio prog