The recent reorganization of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution gave online news a new prominence. In the latest Nieman Reports, Shawn McIntosh, director of culture and change at The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and ajc.com, says the system is now much leaner:
Two new content departments, News & Information and Enterprise, focus on producing unique local content for print and online. Our two production departments, Print and Digital, take the content and decide how best to offer it in distinct ways for those who will consume it.
The change has required more collaborative decision-making and created some new job categories. Among them:
- information specialists charged with gathering and editing informational content such as city guides, calendars and consumer tips
- interactivity editors, designed to keep the conversation going with the audience
- digital managers, who think strategically about how to grow audience in such key areas as high school sports and entertainment
Some jobs have been eliminated. The paper no longer has a national movie critic. It scrapped a “roving regional beat.” And with fewer newsroom resources, McIntosh says, many people are now working harder. That’s a fact in almost every newsroom today–restructured or not.
