Pete Tchakirides Passes

3 | January 23rd, 2012 | Posted in News

Longtime Courant copy editor Pete Tchakirides has died  after a long and accomplished career. Here is his obituary.

I have to admit I did not know his first name was really John  and that he was a PhD.

Services are Jan. 25.

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The Journalist/Survivor Syndrome

0 | January 17th, 2012 | Posted in News

More from the Hartford Magazine front:

Readers may not know (or care) that Hartford Magazine — recently acquired by The Courant — is run by the company’s marketing department.

Courant writers and photographers, however, are more than a little irritated that they are being made to contribute to the publication. Certainly the line between news and marketing has never been more blurry.

Such is the plight of the modern journalist/survivor.

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Plain-Talker Wanted

0 | January 16th, 2012 | Posted in Job Opportunities

Here’s a possible job for any journalist who enjoys the criminal justice system and working with state police.  CIDRIS appears to be the Connecticut Impaired Driver Records Information System.

I had the pleasure of meeting with the Program Director last week and this position is related to the Petit trial.  The position will work with The Department of Justice in informing the public, “Non Technical”, of the project on a on-going basis.  The manager would like a person that has a publishing background as there will be a monthly and yearly news letter and on-going news releases.  This will be a 4-5 year project. There is a high likelihood of the position going perm after the first year or two.  This is a exciting position for someone who wants his or her work make a real difference.

Role – A writer is required to work directly with the 12 CT State Police Barracks to implement the CIDRIS project across the state of CT. The technical writer will act as the liaison between the CJIS Governing Board and the CT State Police Barracks, create system and training documentation, train, provide operational support and resolve issues for each of the 12 CT State Police Barracks.

·         The desirable characteristics for this position are:

Read More »

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Fewer Journalists, More Journalism?

0 | January 16th, 2012 | Posted in News

The Chicago Tribune, larger sister paper of The Courant, is shedding more jobs — this time in the form of a voluntary buyout.

This is probably the most humane way to go about cutting costs, though the severance deal being offered will probably not be all that much help to longtime journalists. They may have to spend a long time out in the cold before finding suitable employment.

Here’s what I don’t  get, however: The Tribune story says that Gerry Kern, editor and senior vice president,  “reiterated his commitment to strategically building capabilities in local news, investigative reporting, digital media and other areas, despite the planned downsizing of staff.”

In a business that relies heavily on boots on the ground, how do you do that? Or is that just the kind of thing that gets said as the business slowly evaporates?

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