My employment at Entrepreneur Media, as a staff writer online and for its magazine, was terminated abruptly on Friday afternoon. The reasons given: Failing to carry out the duties of my job and – I was actually told this – because it was clear I was not happy working there.I will cede the second point. On the first, let me call bullshit: Since arriving to the job of staff writer at Entrepreneur in September of 2008, I have produced more copy, written more words, interviewed more people, and penned more cover stories than anyone else employed by the company. Repeat that sentence to yourself, then wait to see if anyone from the company refutes it. You’ll hear crickets, and I’ll put money on it. I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not perfect, but the quality of my work was clearly above and beyond what the publication was used to, a fact that even the editor-in-chief who fired me admitted. I helped to pioneer the website’s news blog. And most of my online features, including a piece about iPhone apps for music production, were picked up by websites such as MSNBC, The Washington Post and U.S. News & World Report, a feat no one else employed at the mag can claim. During my time at Entreprneur, the editor-in-chief sung my praises, describing my writing to another editor as “beautiful,” and saying things like, Thank God Romero is here, because no one else seems to have a clue. In one email, dated April 30, she wrote, “You’re a great reporter.” When I was fired, I emailed a former Entrepreneur deputy editor. He left me a voicemail: “Failing to carry out duties? Give me a ******* break. You’re the only one that produced anything there.” To top it off, I commuted from the Westside of Los Angeles to Irvine, California (in Orange County) for the gig. The roundtrip took two hours, but spending three-hours on the road was not unusual. While the publication recently had an editor and a writer working from home in New York, I was told that I could not work from home – ever.
I left my last two jobs, as senior writer at alternative weekly LA CityBeat, and as staff writer at Ciudad magazine, sister publication of the mighty Los Angeles magazine and Texas Monthly, on good terms and with great clips. My point here is that, while Entrepreneur can claim that I did not fit into its culture of mediocrity, something I’d be happy to concede, it cannot state with any veracity that I did not carry out my duties as a staff writer. They put my work on the cover five times since I started there in September. (See some examples at my site). Given advance deadlines, I was eligible to write seven covers in my time at the magazine. Five out of seven isn’t bad. I stand by everything that went under my byline there, too, and I’m proud of my output and ability, again and again, to take on last-minute assignments from a wishy washy leadership and turn them around without breaking a sweat.
The real reason behind my termination was editor-in-chief Amy Cosper’s growing distaste for the presence of a knowing soul. It seemed like every time she saw my face she was looking in a mirror that reflects her own deceitfulness. You see, to call Cosper a journalist would be a stretch. Her own, official bio at Entrepreneur.com boasts that her previous claim to fame was the job of “entrepreneur-in-residence” at WiesnerMedia, a C-level magazine publisher whose titles include the stellar ColoradoBIZ and Trucking Times. In her bio, Cosper states that, while at Wiesner, “she solicited and evaluated new business plans, ventures and partnerships to drive the company’s initiative to diversify its portfolio.” I'm not sure what that means, but there’s not a word about being a journalist.
For good reason: During my experience at Entrepeneur, Cosper could not be bothered to make many assignments, read much copy, edit many sentences or manage many staff members. She once told an incoming editor to find out what the folks back in the cubicles did. This was after she had spent more than half a year at the mag. These were her people – her responsibility. She sometimes asked me and the other staff writer what we were working on, and what deadlines we had -- even when she was the only editor left at the mag. She didn't know what we were doing! She didn't give us deadlines! Ever! Recently I scored an interview with Mark Burnett, the reality TV king who's producing a series about entrepreneurs. Cosper told me to put it on the blog. Apparently she was too busy to edit it for a mag or web feature. So it got buried among daily posts.
In one springtime incident witnessed by another editor who is now also departed, a folder containing a printed-out story headed for the editing rounds for its first time -- it was virgin copy -- had already been signed off multiple times by Cosper. I lost count how many times I pitched stories – Dov Charney, the new (entrepreneurial) economy, the iPhone app bonanza, the impending entrepreneurial run on Cuba, the rise of alternative carmakers such as Fisker (based in the same town as Entrepreneur – Irvine, California) – that did not register or that were turned down outright. Those stories ended up being subsequently covered in the likes of Wired, Portfolio and Forbes. Even when I would show her a Forbes cover story that I had pitched long ago, she had a so-what response. On iPhone apps, Cosper later got it, but only after similar stories had appeared in competitors such as Inc. and Fast Company – and a few months after I finally went ahead and penned a piece for Entrepreneur’s own website.
Another example of Cosper’s detached character: At a staff lunch in June, I mentioned a story I had done for the magazine – published earlier this year – about the growing business of personal gene testing. Her face was blank again. What story, she asked. I had to explain it to her. It was news to her. This was a story that appeared in HER magazine!
When I was hired I was fresh from a job at one of the most respected magazine companies, Emmis Publishing, in the land. Anyone with a clue in the glossy business knows Emmis and how, for example, its titles Texas Monthly and Los Angeles are perennial winners and finalists at the National Magazine Awards. This was another fact lost on Cosper, as she concluded that my experience painted me as more of an online and news writer and, thus, I would be working more for the web during my tenure. A much younger reporter with virtually no magazine experience would be used more for print, I was told. I was dumbfounded. I’m pretty sure, at this point, that she didn’t read my clips before hiring me. I proved her assessment wrong (I, in fact, did it all – covers, inside stories, online features and blog posts), and as recently as June Cosper sung my praises in front of the entire staff.
In early April she hired a real journalist, award-winning magazine veteran Mike Kessler, as her new second-in-command. I was excited, as were my fellow staffers, some of whom I helped train in the basics of journalism -- if only by example. Kessler, a National Magazine Award finalist whose work has appeared in The Best American Magazine Writing, made quick work of the previously chaotic editorial process and soon had me doing some of my best work there (the July split-covers of Entrepreneur are both mine, and both are results of my work with Kessler). He helped Cosper weed out some of those cubicle dwellers who either did nothing, or didn’t have a clue. (One now-departed editor once told me that as long as a subject’s publicist was okay with it, a disputed fact goes their way, regardless of the evidence). Kessler cleaned the place up even as Cosper continually lied to him: She said he wouldn't have to deal with the sales side of Entrepreneur; he did. She said the magazine was a member of the American Society of Magazine Editors. It wasn't.
I am told I was never considered for layoffs at the time. To the contrary, I was praised by Cosper. After that round of spring cleaning shed the executive editor, managing editor and a few others, the layers between Cosper’s schizophrenia and me started to shrink. At the end of his second month there, Kessler issued an ultimatum to Entrepreneur’s ownership: Cosper wasn’t carrying out the duties of an editor-in-chief, and he was. They could give him a raise, or make her do her work. (In his presence, Cosper scanned over Kessler's 800-word memo in 15-seconds; she originally told him she could reallocate some money to meet his demands, but later recanted). In his final letter to the magazine’s publisher, Ryan Shea, Kessler wrote the following (repeated here with his blessing):
Amy lacks the, honesty, leadership qualities, and trustworthiness to be the editor in chief of a national consumer glossy. She may very well lack the skill, too ... She is completely uninvolved until the last moment of production … From day one, I watched Amy talk out of both sides of her mouth, telling me, and you, and others, what they wanted to hear. For example, she assured me during the interview process that I would never be required to work with the advertising side in any capacity ... As a leader, Amy is completely unavailable. Her staff fears her, and believes that she unfit for leadership. They are right. ... Amy refuses to read memos or see the art and edit through from inception to fruition, which she describes to me as "micro-managing.” (I told her it's actually called "editor-in-chiefing.") I think the quality of the magazine is a testament to Amy's lack of leadership. She introduced a mediocre redesign and put out a few decent covers, but eight months into her job, the overall quality would be an embarrassment to any respectable editor-in-chief of a magazine as huge and important as Entrepreneur.
I was in Kessler’s office, with the door closed, when Cosper walked over to have her final words with him. Since that day, I’ve been private enemy number one. My stories always seemed to elicit a nice one from Cosper – even though she was responding via Blackberry within minutes of me filing (not possibly enough time to read them, especially on such a small device). My pieces were soon met with “needs work” -- just as fast. Two well-reported stories were held without explanation. I was called into her office three times in the last two months to explain things I had said about the magazine to coworkers. I explained that the staff was so young and inexperienced they didn’t know how things were supposed to work. I said she was lucky to have me so that some of the younger journalists there – one actually asked me how to take notes – could get free training. I told them how things should be. Stop it, I was told.
On June 25, news of the last mass staff exodus had hit the FishbowlLA and FishbowlNY blogs. Nearly the entire print editorial staff, save for a franchise (special issue) editor had asked to be laid off with severance. That week Cosper had held a meeting in her office and stated that if anyone else is unhappy they're free to go too. (Way to rally the troops: Two others, including a web editor, took her up of the offer). A few weeks later two art direction assistants took off as well. One of them, a young man in his 20s, was asked by Cosper why he was leaving a national magazine for a third-tier city/regional. The pay is better, he said, and it seemed like the people there cared. They're more like family, he said. At that point, the print magazine’s editorial staff consisted of Cosper, the franchise editor, the art director and an assistant art director. (The other staff writer and myself technically worked for the web, although we contributed to print). This is for a 600,000-circulation national magazine that wants to steal advertisers from far superior publications such as Fast Company and Inc. Everyone near Cosper had gone running for the hills. The young editors were frustrated with having to do her work with little direction or leadership, only to face her rants when the printed product was shipped to the office. Cosper was left to hunt for someone to do her job for her. With such a revolving door, the company was a relatively big advertiser at Media Bistro. After one candidate came through and didn't end up attached to the magazine, Cosper blurted out, exasperated, something like, "No more newspaper people. The talent pool around here sucks." Of course that's not true. There are many good journalists are out of work in Southern California. But Entrepreneur's idea of talent is someone who kisses ass and does work without question. Those aren't job requirments that go down well with most journos, especially ones that are going to be running a magazine.Cosper's M.O., as any of these editors would attest (had they not signed non-disclosure agreements, which I did not), was to create fires and put them out. When Shea complained about the magazine's design, Cosper asked Kessler to supervise the art director -- a woman who happened to be Cosper's longtime friend, and her hire. The next day Cosper skipped work to go motorcycle riding. Her two-hour gym breaks were notorious, as were her 5-on-the-dot exits. One editor noted how Cosper was enlisted to create an advertorial package for a huge advertiser, UPS, but threw it on the underling’s lap long after deadline. Cosper had more pressing fires to put out. Do the company's owners know, the editor asked me, that their editor-in-chief was so irreverent when it came to core elements of their business? She also liked to hire people that she believed could be pushed around, as if a saleswoman is any match for journalists with any seasoning. She once described a position she planned to create, an editor in charge of web content, as "my bitch." The position has since been filled.
Meanwhile, in the media blogs, Shea had blamed editors loyal to Cosper’s predecessor for the late-June exodus, but as FishbowlNY later noted, that’s not true, because at least some of those who left had never even met the earlier editor-in-chief. In fact, after a long-departed Kessler fired off an I-told-you-so to Shea regarding the latest exodus, the publisher blamed Kessler for the departures. Clearly, the blame game is an art form at Entrepreneur. Somehow, though, even as Kessler accurately pointed out that Cosper doesn’t really begin to do the job of editor-in-chief, Shea and his family, which owns the publication, continued to back her. In fact, during those lean times in May and June, Cosper had the magazine freelance edited, ostensibly at considerable expense. She even called a freelance copy editor Kessler hired to find out how the editorial process works; she had lost her staff and was clueless about how the magazine she edits is actually put together. She lucked out, though, because the mag’s assignments were on cruise control based on work that Kessler had done months ago, including a slate of upcoming cover stories (Tony Hawk by Pulitzer finalist Gary Cohn and Russell Simmons by Inc. contributor and former New York Times editor Josh Dean). None the wiser, she continued to badmouth Kessler.
On June 26, Cosper and I had a final, contentious, closed-door meeting in her office. As comments to the FishbowlNY post rolled in that morning, she was obviously angry. During the meeting, she seemed to become more and more agitated. I never backed down (another no-no at a place that hires the young and inexperienced and is used to bullying its employees). I told her ever since Kessler left she's been gunning for me. She blew up. "Kessler! Kessler!" she yelled. "I know you’ve been IMing Kessler," she said, clutching a pile of printouts. Stop IMing Mike Kessler, she said. I was aghast. Not only was I prohibited from communicating with a former editor I was previously required to answer to, often via IM, but the company was spying on my private IMs. I told her that I was amazed that this company couldn’t make it a priority to subscribe to Lexis-Nexis research services but has the resources to spy on employees.I had become the problem. I was asked to explain why I had been speaking ill of an incoming editor -- an editor as it turns out once again, who is saving the day as we speak. Cosper said she heard I had said she is not qualified. This was not the case, I explained. All I had done was corrected Cosper’s repeated reference to her as a former Los Angeles Times Magazine managing editor, which is not true. I said she’s a former Times features editor, not a former Times magazine managing editor, and that an ex-boss of mine who had worked at the Times, including as a top editor at the paper’s magazine, vouched for her. The facts often get lost with Cosper, and I doubt my version of events was related to the new editor. If anything, the false notion that I badmouthed the incoming editor might have worked in Cosper’s favor, as she clearly wouldn’t want a repeat of Kessler. What, two qualified journalists, working together? Lord knows what would happen. We might have even put out a good magazine. At that last meeting, I told Cosper that we had spent more time talking about rumors and innuendo than we have about story ideas and doing good journalism. Strangely, she agreed.
That June day I began to pack my things in anticipation of what was to come. The last straw, I believe, was an IM I sent to a coworker Friday noting the promotion of an employee whose abilities no one at the magazine – apparently not even Cosper – respects. (I once described him as “a monkey with a keyboard” to Cosper’s face, and she did not refute it). In the IM, I stated that I had asked for a promotion in writing. I wondered, I continued, how the company would justify in court promoting him, an under-qualified white man, over me, a journalist of color with 20 years of often top-line experience. Shortly after 4 p.m. Friday I was called upstairs, given some paperwork to sign (I refused to sign one document) and told to pack up. An executive kept eyes on me the whole time I grabbed my belongings, but I was fast: I had already prepared. I suspect they’ve saved other IMs for ammunition. I think that reflects more on them than I: This says volumes about a company’s priorities. It can’t put out a cleanly edited, well-designed magazine for a readership it clearly peddles to advertisers as high-end, but it can spy on its employees.
In those last two contentious months, when barely anyone was left in the office to run the magazine (see my photos), Cosper went on vacation once, and spent the better part of two additional weeks out of town. It doesn’t seem like responsible editor-in-chief behavior, especially as the new second-in-command was left holding the bag that contained last-minute editing and assigning. But, as has been made clear here, Cosper’s no ordinary editor-in-chief. In fact, she goes out on sales calls with the publisher. She helps to sell ads! She sets up editorial packages that advertisers can frame their pitches around. In fact, when I mentioned the idea of covering Fisker Automotive for the final time, she said we can’t do it: Porsche was sponsoring the standing feature I was pitching to. The Germans, she said, might not like it. Later I learned that Cosper was actually shilling for an even more "intrusive" ad campaign by the sportscar maker. When other editors noted that the ads could cross the line with editorial and make the mag ineligible for National Magazine Awards, she said she'd rather earn the ad money than get an award.
And herein lies the bottom line. Entrepreneur’s owners don’t like journalism. The publication’s record of having a revolving door, of hiring malleable, inexperienced newcomers (except when its editor-in-chief obviously doesn’t know who she’s hiring), of making the place hostile for the diverse and outspoken, and of continually putting out a mediocre product, shows that it’s not at all about journalism. In a staff meeting earlier in the year, the publisher himself swatted down my suggestion that the company website become a daily news portal for entrepreneurs – the better for those startup owners to keep coming back as their businesses developed and they no longer needed our basic, how-to content. He said that Entrepreneur’s bread-and-butter is “take-away” stories for the startup hopeful. In other words, the magazine’s staple includes those five-ways-to-start-a-business pieces that appeal only to those ignorant enough to believe that a staff of inexperienced journalists could tell them how to start and run a business. In encouraging more feature-like profiles of successful business owners (like the recent cover Q&A I did with Patron’s John Paul DeJoria), I later joked to fellow staffers that if I knew the five easiest businesses to start in a recession, would I be here? (I was told, after penning cover stories about the surfing and mixed martial arts industries, that we were doing too many pop culture stories and that we needed to return to the “take-away”).
Selling readers and advertisers the notion that Entrepreneur’s staff editors and writers know the ins and outs of starting and maintaining a business is almost fraudulent. Some of the company’s employees and leaders haven’t even graduated from college. One web editor can barely write a sentence (“He's turned himself into a living, breathing, kick-flipping commodity--one that's become so wildly successful that it's hard for some to tell where [Ryan] Sheckler the skater ends and Sheckler the brand begins--and vice versa,” he once wrote). And here’s the thing: While the mag aims at those ignorant enough to believe that these “take-away” stories give them something that they can’t get in Fast Company, it fails to retain those educated, successful business-owning readers by giving them savvy, in-depth journalism, in my opinion. But which of those two audiences do you think those big-name advertisers (UPS, Porsche, American Express) crave: Cletus the Slack-Jawed Business Hopeful? Or the woman with a hi-tech startup and 30 employees? Do you think there’s anything in Entrepreneur or Entrepreneur.com she doesn’t already know (or know better)?
So, essentially, Entrepreneur is hostile to journalism because it costs money and requires tolerance of diverse, smart, and educated people. At the same time, there’s a sleight of hand: Entrepreneur’s owners crave those advertisers that crave educated, savvy and demanding readers. How they connect the dots between dumbed-down “take-away” stories for people who haven’t the slightest notion of business, and a moneyed advertising base keen on the educated and affluent, is pure salesmanship.
Having a saleswoman with the title of editor-in-chief fits perfectly. A fox is watching over the henhouse, and Entrepreneur’s owners are comfortable with that. As long as they own the place, they will forever refuse to hire a real journalist as an editor-in-chief. Who would go on sales calls? Who would help sandwich editorial with ad packages? Who would be there to validate their utterly non-journalistic view that publishing “take-away” stories is the way to go? Who would nod in agreement that what the magazine – which still uses clip art and which, until last year, was physically cut-and-pasted for layout – really needs is more five-ways-to-do-a-business stories? Entrepreneur exists in the Shea family’s likeness.
That’s fine. I’m going to surprise you here: I own a magazine, I run it my way -- and I could really care less what you think. This is America. I’m 100 percent with that. America! But what’s hard to swallow is the constant bullshit: that I was fired because I wasn’t carrying out duties; that the magazine is improving and hiring better and better journalists; that it’s owners are comfortable with real journalists instead of some of the utter tards it entrusts as content managers; that it's serving up the kind of smart, successful readers its advertisers crave. Those are lies. The owners have every right to have a mediocre magazine. But say it loud and proud: We don’t like quality content or the uppity people who make it. It’s not our thing. There almost seems to be perverse pleasure in the way the owners jerk around journalists, constantly hiring and firing their way through bad press and worse content. But to think they can burn through good people like Kessler and I (and I suspect there will be more) without blow-back is a pipe dream. For Cosper to think that she can come from a small media market and pull the wool over people's eyes in the second largest media market in the nation is pure fantasy. She's in the big leagues, but she's small-town all the way. I'll be doing what I do long after she's gone.
Hopefully that will be soon. Managers inside Entrepreneur have admitted to me that the magazine loses money, and that the website, along with other ventures such as licensing the Entrepreneur name to publishers in other countries, and printing how-to books, apparently make money. Cosper once told me I should get with her program because Entrepreneur would be “the last business mag standing.” Like everything she’s said, I found it quite hard to believe.
74 comments:
Cancelling my subscription, it's been declining in the last few months. I've actually swtiched to Inc and Fast Company for buisness reading.
Condolences on the loss of income for now. You'll find something better for certain.
Great note and I'm so glad you went into detail and revealed Cosper for what she truly is--a horrible nightmare of a boss and psuedo quasi journalist. I'd also like to give you a personal "high five" for what you wrote about JP. ;)
From a marketing perspective, what a perfect waste of a great brand name in business publishing.
Wow.
I didn't renew my subscription this year...it just wasn't as good as when I first subscribed...so this is why. I'm sorry you've lost your job, but look at it as a blessing. You are now free to find employment at a worthy publication.
(Also, it's appalling that the new journalists didn't know how to take notes! That's crazy! Where did they go to school?! They're lucky you were there to teach them.)
Great piece and read. Best of luck in your next venture. I'll be joining the bread line with you soon, and for very much the same reasons: mis-managed management and the failure of business to recognize the needed changes.
BD
Is this journalism or a vendetta? Such douchebaggery lacks class. I wouldn't hire Cosper, and I wouldn't hire you either based on what you reveal of yourself in this post. Suggest you keep it to yourself if you ever want to rise above the whining class. I say this as a (very successful) freelance writer, and as a former manager who had to listen to countless writers who always saw themselves as victims.
Truth
This is a very interesting take. I am a publisher myself, and I cringe when I see a complete lack of leadership like this displayed by someone that is supposed to be a mentor and a driving force behind excellence that I know could come from a strong brand like theirs.
I am also concerned that the leadership (or lack thereof) has not spent any significant time with your editorial team talking about the business realities that our industry faces. The idea that an advertiser could drive editorial is a long-term bad idea, but so is an editorial team that has it in their mind that salespeople are somehow "evil". I'm sorry, but those days are long gone, and so will everyone else that does not work together to figure out the new model of how editorial and sales interacting on a normal basis. This does not mean sales dictating stories or affecting coverage. It does mean open and honest communications so everyone is on the same page. Maybe a piece on the magazine business is in order?
Was the race jab needed? The main crux of the issue is incompetence, not a re-hash of mad men.
How do people get to positions like EIC if they are totally unqualified? and inept Again and again, Dr. Laurence J. Peter's principle stands tall: "In a hierarchy, every employee tends to rise to his level of incompetence."
Very sorry for your loss of work, but... with bosses like that, maybe it was a blessing.
I can relate to your sense of frustration in working for an organization where you feel like you're the sole professional voice, and are, as a result, a major threat to those above and around you. Intelligence is always a threat to the inept.
Best bridge-burning story I've ever read.
Great post Dennis. Sorry to read about your journey, but as always, it was excellently reported. Indeed the days I was sitting across from you at Ciudad were something to be remembered. Good luck with everything.
Thanks for the kind words, everyone. cbinmaine: I'm a successful freelancer myself. What kind of hiring do you do as freelancer?
whickjames: To say this is about a lack of vision, leadership and competence is true. But it's hard to ignore the factor of race a place where the only other people who look like me there clean the bathrooms (there was one other Latino on the executive floor). I would say above all, the company promotes people not because of their merits but because the organization is comfortable with them. The people it happens to be comfortable with are overwhelmingly white (if there is a nonwhite manager there, it's news to me). When someone of color and of merit is denied because they don't fit into the owners' plane of comfort, what do you call it? So often I've heard editors and publication leaders say they hire and promote the best and if they're white they're white and if they're brown they're brown. That's fine. In the case of Entrepreneur, I had more experience, at least until the new second-in-command editor was brought in (I'm not sure, exactly, how long she's been at it), than anyone else in the building, including the editor-in-chief. As I said above, I produced more copy, at a higher quality, than anyone at the publication. I displayed more industry knowledge, news judgment and journalistic skill than anyone in the building. So, then, if someone like that is denied, and people of much less ability are promoted are white, what do you call it?
having worked with Cosper and seen first hand similar situation as the ones you describe, I understand why you are so angry. Deceitfulness, I would say, is the biggest of her many character flaws
First up, this was a fantastic read. I cringe hearing this story, and your frank portrayal of what went down, but kudos to you and I hope it all works out for you.
And CBINMAINE, throwing rocks from behind your anonymous user name is hypocritical. Are you trying to preserve your reputation in case you and the blogger come across one another in the RW....? If you really are a successful freelancer it's classier to bite your tongue and share this on your Facebook, then to comment as an anonymous authority.
God Almighty. What a read. One of the biggest lessons in life is learning which bridges to burn and which to cross. Kudos to you for leaving only flaming embers behind.
"most of my online features, including a piece about iPhone apps for music production, were picked up by websites such as MSNBC, The Washington Post and U.S. News & World Report, a feat no one else employed at the mag can claim."
Um, how bout almost all writers could say that because Entrepreneur has freaking partnerships with all of those companies. Entrepreneur stories are fed to those Web sites almost every day. Sure, that office was a shithole. I'm kind of surprised you didn't fit in better.
This could/should be an important magazine, I hope they get their act together.
Anonymous [regarding Entrepreneur's partnerships with various news outlets]: While you are correct that Entrepreneur has partnerships with the likes of MSNBC, it is not at all true that "almost all writers could say that." In fact, those organizations pick and chose what to pick up from Entrepreneur. While MSNBC was the most liberal user of Entrepreneur material (yes -- it has a standing channel devoted to the mag's feeds) the others rarely use Entrepreneur copy. In fact, the magazine produces such low quality content, the kind of "take-away" journalism that no one else in the world seems to get except the Rhodes Scholars at Entrepreneur, that I noticed less-and-less pick-ups by Entrepreneurs partners, particularly as my web contributions waned. However, if you know of anyone whose work got picked up as much or more than mine during my time at the magazine, feel free to share with the class. Otherwise, as they say, STFU.
And, in terms of me fitting in with the "shithole," feel free to draw any parallels between my experience, my work and the so-described shithole qualities at Entrepreneur. Be specific.
Great piece, and a fantastic portrait of what's going on in journalism today. Get the salespeople OUT of journalism -- period. There must be a better model.
Brutal. This is in LA, right? Somehow that makes sense to me. Here via Farai Chideya's tweet.
As for employee privacy. Two things. Make sure you use secured connections for all private stuff. And don't work for people who think that they can improve the quality of writing by acting like sweatshop managers.
Quality is quality, and it isn't measured by the number of bathroom breaks or the content of private IMs. And any organization whose leadership is evaluating loyalty and not quality is just an overgrown high school, and will perish.
Did I understand that right: you were working with young JOURNALISTS who don't know how to take notes?!
Egad this industry is doomed, and by far more elementary things than even bosses like Cosper. Unfortunately, they are like cockroaches. I left corporate journalism in 1996 over a boss who must have been her twin.
If I ever saw this post, I would disregard your entire resume and never consider you for a job in journalism or anywhere. Professionalism doesn't end, even if you get fired. Any potential employer that sees this is wondering what you'd blog about him/her/your new job. E-mail this kind of stuff to friends, if you want. But don't post it on the 'net.
i have only one qustion: with your 20+yrs professional experience in journalism, why in god's name did you stay if it was so bloody awful?
Questioner: I needed the gig, and I thought it would look good to get bylines at a national pub. When I started I had no idea how bad it was. I just assumed it would be decent since it was a national title in a big market. Boy was I wrong. But I stayed for the paycheck, which was more than they usually paid staff writers, thanks to a little negotiation. It wasn't bad - not entry level. And these days, with hundreds if not thousands of good journalists out of work on the West Coast, that can be a good thing.
I hung in there. I'm not a quitter, and my record proves it. When Cosper asked if anyone else wanted to leave during that last exodus, I'm sure she had me in mind. She called me into her office three times in an attempt to bully me into leaving. I stayed. And like I said, long after she's gone, I'll be doing what I do.
Regarding disregarding my resume: It's a free company. Friends who have been editor-in-chiefs themselves have given me high fives for my posts. They're the kind of journalists who would be ashamed of me had I NOT said anything. Not sure what kind of employer you are, but in this business, being straight-up about things is an asset. After all, companies are entrusting me with keeping lawsuits off their backs by telling the truth everyday. It's what I do, and my record shows it. The post above is no different.
Regarding taking notes: Yes! I feel bad about that, though, because the person in question is one of the brighter people there and does solid work. But the person was pretty green coming in.
My fellow journos there also learned how to conduct phone interviews by listening to me. I got a chuckle out of hearing them ask, at the end of the interview, "Is there anything else you would like to add," which is something I always said.
Wow, great piece. I have been hearing about the departures lately and was wondering what was going on over there. It's been eye-opening to read this, to say the least, especially when I thought Entrepreneur was supposed to be a reputable publication.
"Friends who have been editor-in-chiefs themselves have given me high fives for my posts. They're the kind of journalists who would be ashamed of me had I NOT said anything."
I totally agree. I used to work at another semi-big publisher in OC and became frustrated with how our ad sales manager had her hands in our editorial all the time and we wouldn't cover certain stories because certain advertisers "wouldn't be happy" about it. I kept asking myself, "Since when did we become a custom publication for advertisers?" I didn't feel like what we were doing was jouralism -- and I had to leave.
My degree is in English, so I've never taken any journalism classes. I have had to learn it all on my own through books and trial and error. I've come a long way, but I've always had journalistic integrity, which Ms. Cosper seems to lack.
Wow, so you're the guy that invented that phrase, "Is there anything else you would like to add?" I think you'll be alright with all the royalties that should be coming in from that catch phrase. All of journalism owes you a debt of gratitude for being the first person to use that phrase in an interview.
Dennis, your rant could've been far shorter. My eyes started glazing over about halfway through. I'll give you an "A" for passion, though.
And the intended quip toward the end of your catharsis is "couldn't have cared less."
I loved your expose, Mr. Romero. I applaud you for taking a stand and shouting out the virtual window to express your dismay, displeasure, and disbelief at the working conditions that sound like a page out of Magazine Hell.
Just two small typo/grammatical corrections to your piece. Your essay is getting a lot of attention online. (I am here via a Twitter posting.) You might want to edit the writing as your words make the rounds.
You meant to type "me" in both instances where the word "I" is used in the text. Here are the sentences that need tweaking:
"I had already prepared. I suspect they’ve saved other IMs for ammunition. I think that reflects more on them than I:"
"But to think they can burn through good people like Kessler and I (and I suspect there will be more) without blow-back is a pipe dream."
I wish you well. Good luck and I am sure you will land with both feet on the ground-- and two hands on the steering wheel of a keyboard with your name on it.
-P. Ross
Okay, so you were without fault. Nothing you ever did was wrong. Ever. Not even the grammatical errors, which of course, you never had in your actual articles -- things like "I could care less," for instance. You were perfect. And you got fired anyway. Is that it?
I just HAD to comment on this. It has such a ring of truth to it. All the while I was reading this post, I was remembering the experiences I had at a job I held almost 15 years ago. Had blogs existed back then, this could have been my own blog post. Upper level editors were incompetent, lower level editors came and went with disturbing regularity in response to nightmarish working conditions, mid level management was primarily interested in sucking up to the private owners, and the private owners were engaged in staffing management positions with people who would suck up to them. The only reason anyone stayed was their outright need for a paycheck (a sentiment frequently expressed around the office, if in low tones), and they only stayed until they could find a replacement paycheck.
I have often dreamed about having the opportunity to teach an undergraduate journalism class. On day one, lesson one would be to ruminate on this question: Why do magazines and newspapers exist? Without a doubt, most of the students would give some pie-in-the-sky answer that reduced to the idea that publications exist to serve a readership. “Wrong,” I’d inform them. “Don’t ever forget that magazines and newspapers exist to make money, and the way they make money is through advertising.” From a publisher’s standpoint, the editorial content of a publication is simply a necessary evil, and if you work producing that content, you’ll be seen as a necessary evil. If you can be made unnecessary, you will be.
In this regard, publishing is no different from any other business. All businesses are about redistributing money. As a business owner, I want to redistribute money out of your pocket and into mine. Any expense that has to be incurred to bring about that transfer of money is just a nuisance, and there will be constant pressure to reduce or eliminate it. A business owner who can dispense with delivering a good product and can still get your money will do exactly that, and no one should be surprised. Clearly the publisher of Entrepreneur views publishing this way.
Lest you think the grass is greener on the other side of the fence, let me assure you that journalism is no different from any other business. If you doubt that, I’d suggest reading the business news from any given day over the last two years, when it should have become obvious to anyone who ever doubted it that incompetence is the performance standard in all human endeavors and greed is the driving force behind most human behavior. Welcome to the real world.
P.S. Yes, it’s hard to edit when you’re seeing red, but you should correct the typos.
Hmmm. Management like that has been lurking the halls of numerous organizations for decades. Thankfully, many of them are being discovered. Now, including that Cosper piece of work thanks to your article. The color thing - sure you can go there. But I see it like this - that's just part of stupid. And right now Entrepreneur is running stupid. I think you pretty much summed it up in your "mirror" paragraph. People of that mindset are not comfortable with those who do a good job. Makes them look/feel bad and out of control. So they drop everything/everyone to their level. And then, they all fail together...eventually.
This sounds so much like a couple of experiences I've been through at other companies that it brought back butterflies of anxiety in my stomach. I have no doubt this is an accurate telling of your experience, but in my experience venting sour grapes in public does little to damage anyone but the "ventor." As others have pointed out, this will certainly dissuade at least some more worthy employers from considering you.
One passage in your post bugged me, though: In complaining about who advanced vs. who did not, you wrote, "I had more experience...than anyone else in the building, including the editor-in-chief." "Experience" is not a qualification for advancement in and of itself. Experienced writers or reporters do not necessarily make good editors or managers(speaking from painful experience). Also, people skills matter - a lot. I don't know you, but from the tone of your post (rightfully angry as it may be) it seems like you might be a bit of a whiner. Not that any of this explains why such an inept-sounding person rose to the rank of editor-in-chief at Entrepreneur, of course....
Anyone that says that they would not hire you after reading this probably has no clue about what journalist do or has a similar need to control and manage their way to mediocrity as your former EIC.
As one poster said, what a great read and kudos to knowing which bridge to burn. This is a case where the 'inflammables' need not be spared.
A similiar situation just happened to me. My newspaper "suggested" I quit since I'm unhappy and basically threatened to fire me if I didn't. Nevermind that they completely changed my job description and haven't bothered to try and help me adjust....sigh.
"Not sure what kind of employer you are, but in this business, being straight-up about things is an asset."
Sounds a bit naive to me, my friend. And in journalism organizations where 'straight-up' is embraced (and God bless 'em, wherever they exist), there surely is a 'right' way to do it and a not-so-right way. Speaking to the latter: I doubt any potential future journalism employer reading this would be particularly comfortable with how you've cast yourself here, so I hope those clips are pretty darned exceptional. What you've posted is fine for sharing with friends over beers and words of encouragement (and I've been there, btw). But in a public forum, this sort of thing will only serve to come back to bite you in the butt.
That said: Good luck in hopefully landing on your feet.
D, Fascinating. I clicked in from Huffington Post for a quick read and ended up reading your whole piece, line by line.
Firstly, my thoughts are with you, as you go through a difficult time of adjustment.
Now, from one entrepreneur to another:
(I say that, because it is highly likely that you will have to reinvent yourself as an entrepreneur quickly. I expect you have burned many bridges with this piece.)
In order to improve and move ahead in life we have to take one-hundred-percent responsibility for where we are today. Yes, one-hundred-percent responsibility for what you have done to create your circumstances; one-hundred-percent responsibility for how you have reacted to circumstances beyond your control; one-hundred-percent responsibility for how you have reacted to what others have done to you.
Your responsibility is that you stuck around to work with bosses and team members whom you did not respect. You did not flee -- at one hundred miles an hour -- out the door. You compromised your integrity, your soul, your very being. In so doing, you created karma at work that circled back to get you.
Your editor-in-chief sounds horrific. The whole place sounds incredibly dysfunctional. It is obviously mediocre, without leaders.
The positive side of your horrific experience is that you are now free to carve your future. You mentioned a daily portal for entrepreneurs -- fantastic idea. Go do it. You would have to learn how to sell, though, the one activity that will bring you success; allow what you have written to be sponsored, sold and read; bring revenues in the door.
Some tips:
Never write private correspondence over technology owned by the company for which you work. The company has paid for the technology for work-related communication.
NEVER ever gossip about, or backstab, anyone at work. Deal with situations together, and if that doesn't work, have the courage of your convictions and leave. This is one of the most ignored rules in the workplace and causes the most damage and pain.
SAVE, SAVE, SAVE so that you always have approximately a year's living expenses in the event of being fired or terminated abruptly.
I am not a lawyer, but I am pretty sure organizations are not required to tell someone why he/she is being fired. In fact, for legal reasons, they usually give out some innocuous reason. They also do that because they are almost always cowards. But, D, you know why you were fired. You don't have to interpret the excuses.
The very, very best. You are in the first days of a whole, new successful life.
I have also worked with Amy Cosper. Or "Cosper" as she likes to be called. Sadly, this story rings true of what I saw in her work and management style too.
She was unprofessional and deceitful when I knew her too.
Oh, she can talk a good game but her lack of knowledge and experience finally came through. She could never produce what she promised. She was one to always throw someone under the bus rather than admit her own fault.
I couldn't believe a magazine like Entr. would even hire her. Any one who spends any time with her realizes she is a fraud.
And I have to say one of the most unpleasant people I have worked with too. Unfulfilled promises, bad practices, back stabbing and so on are her game.
I advise anyone to stay away from her!
Mister, you are a first-class writer. What strikes me in your replies to comments, though, is how even-handed you are even there -- precisely as you were in your well-reported post, when more rant would not have been out of place.
What is your mag you refer to? I want a sub.
It amazes me that with your 20+ years of experience as a professional journalist - you still thought it would be a good idea to post this blog. Have you every heard of KARMA? You may feel like you have accomplished something now, but sadly my friend, it's only going to come back and haunt you.
Does this mean you didn't get the special package I sent to your office?
As a publisher of hard copy magazines as well as digital versions, this was a very interesting read, albeit quite long. I believe you could have tightened it up and made it a better read. You certainly know how to burn bridges...No matter how good you are (or think you are) I would never hire you becuse of your comments. And yes, when you do work, you're not entitled to write personal notes on the company's IM or on their time. Still, you think you're right. So you go down in flames because I don't think you can get a job at a decent place, at least not for a long time, if ever.
As I was reading this, I couldn't help but wonder if this was some kind of power struggle between you and Cosper? If so, you were never going to win, because organizations really can't let you win. Sad but true. And the fact that Sr. Mgmt continued to back Cosper backs me up on this.
I've been a people manager for a long time and was pretty incompetent at first. It took me awhile to get good and then even maybe (on a good day) great. But I regret every single one of the mistakes I made as a young manager. From that perspective it sounds to me like Cosper is in over her head, knows it, and is making a classic move of getting rid of all the old guard and hiring all new so they can be "her" people.
And, until her decisions start impacting the bottom line (for good or ill), nothing will be done.
Good you left.
To those who are saying that they wouldn't hire me (particularly the "publisher" -- of what prestigious magazine?), please. I'm already doing work for Tribune Company, LA Weekly and OC Weekly -- places far, far away from Entrepreneur.
To he/she who commented about my interview technique, I'm not the first one who ever said it, but in that office, during my tenure, I was, and, as I said, it gave me a chuckle to see everyone else around do it after I did.
Sorry to say it man, but welcome to the real world. You have no privacy at work, learn to go around the system with your personal stuff. Also, in corporate America the higher up the chain you go the bigger the egos you have to deal with. It's a recipe for disaster if you let workplace politics get to you personally. This is the reason I think so many people these days lack motivation - because they work for really shitty people. I feel your pain, welcome to the club.
Dennis,
I always enjoyed listening to you interview people. I was amazed at how much research you did. And you are right about the "is there anything else you would like to add" comment. You were a pro. Thanks for the "young man....." shout out.
J
Dennis, as one of your former editors, I just want to vouch for your professionalism, integrity and honesty. I worked with you for three years and you were a gem. Some potential employers might get their hair in a bun by this post, but frankly, you don't want to work for them either. Some folks can't handle the truth or work with quality journalists. Kudos to you and here's betting you get a great job.
Angelo
Hiring Cosper was a huge mistake. She doesn't know how to build or lead a team. I don't know why the owners continue to defend her so strongly with the way things are going over there. The only reason I can come up with is that they want the company to fail. Through all of this mess at least one thing has become crystal clear–the beginning of the end of Entrepreneur Magazine started the day Amy Cosper became editor-in-chief.
Get over it, Romero. We've all lost a job or two because of lousy management. I hope you found it cathartic to write such a lengthy diatribe about your distaste for your ex-boss. You'll land on your feet somewhere. Just watch out for those IM's.
I've definitely noticed the deteriorating quality of Entrepreneur over the last year, and joked about it recently with other friends/subscribers. I'll take your word that leadership is a huge issue. Depletion of ranks seems to have caused obvious, and predictable problems as well. You've helped me understand why the "Franchise" section has slowly taken over the magazine.
I was probably going to cancel my subscription anyway, but this seals the deal. Hopefully INC and Fast Company can pick up the slack.
Angelo, thanks so much. It was my pleasure.
(The man is a former Time magazine editor-at-large and an editorial director for Emmis Publishing's Ciudad magazine).
All you "Anonymous" people criticizing Dennis for his post, obviously don't get it or are not-to-be-trusted Emag shills. If what Dennis wrote is true, Emag is still the scam rag it was when it was started in the 70s by a convicted bank robber and serial con artist (using one of numerous aliases to hide his felonious background), to peddle get rich schemes onto unsuspecting readers.
True journalists, or any upstanding business person, should be far more concerned about what is allegedly going on at Emag, than whether or not other shitty run magazines will want to hire Dennis. Or have you already given up and conceded that mags are a dying breed and America has lost its competitive edge?
Scams like Madoff's and Enron's can only succeed if tons of people are willing to turn a blind eye and/or attack people like Dennis, who, after months of apparently busting his butt trying to improve Emag's massive editorial problems, gets so frustrated after getting canned for his efforts, that he writes a post so detailing of his experiences at Emag, and opens himself up to severe criticisms from spineless, faceless, and anonymous people and threats of "you'll never work in this industry again boy!"
I'm embarrassed by what people are saying about Dennis instead of asking, "what if he is right?" I'm also sick and tired of people complaining about how bad they've had it at other jobs, and telling Dennis to just grow up and accept the fact that companies can and will treat their employees and customers with such deceit and disrespect.
Is this what you're also telling your kids? That life sucks, get used to it? If so, stop it! You're part of the problem and don't deserve to call yourself an American. The founders (and immigrants) of our great country didn't bust their butts to build America into the world's best country just to have a bunch of lazy bums mess up what they worked so hard for (note: I didn't say America is perfect).
For us to get out of this record setting economic crisis, we need leaders who can lead and workers who refuse to accept inferior work or unethical companies. The fact that foreign companies build better cars in their U.S.-based factories with American workers than domestic car companies can, highlights what can and will happen when people become complacent and accepting of inferior work and inept management. And is also why taxpayers now own most of bankrupted General Motors, once the most profitable and admired company in the entire world.
And those of you getting your rocks off blasting Dennis but are too much of a wuss to use your real name, let's just assume you're an Emag ringer desperately trying to defend the poster child of what is bad with corporate America. Why else are you so afraid to identify yourself? Contrary to your rants, it is YOU, not people like Dennis, that most good employers would NOT want to hire. What good companies knowingly hire people who are so accepting of inferior employee performance and unethical business practices? Apparently, you work for one of them.
This was an excellent read. Thank you for having the guts to write it and publish.
I am just an average reader of Huffington Post. Not in any way involved in journalism, magazines, etc. But what happened with you happens everywhere all over the world, and in every industry. Getting fired sucks. Always. Because it's never on your terms.
I have a few random thoughts though that I really hope you can try to address:
*can you (or someone) get their real investigative hat on and try very hard to figure out the relationship between this Cosper and this Shea family? As in, is she blowing Papa Shea, (or whomever, Shea)? Is she some sort of long-time (but secret) 'friend of the family'? Please try, that would be fascinating to read.
*It's cruel but yet ironic that you were with Entrepreneur and yet you learned the ultimate entrepreneur story of why so many people everyday become entrepreneurs...usually getting fired, can't find another job, or just tired of kissing ass.
*There is a HUGE need for high quality entrepreneur information and you might want to think about how you can capitalize on this via the web. And of course eventually monetize.
Lastly, Entrepreneur, for me, has been a light breezy read for me for far too long. Have never subscribed but gotten free issues. Takes all about 20 minutes to really get through.
And don't worry, Karma IS a bitch and these people will get what's coming to them in one way or another.
I am a writer of 28 years' standing and almost always take the writer's side--but you two sound like you deserve each other. Why spoil two magazines? What a whiner you are! Good grief, I would hate, as a human being, to have you dogging after me, chronicling my every move. Eeek. I hope for your sake your next potential boss does not get the complete jeebs reading this.Incidentally--when you put a sentence inside parens, the period goes inside, too.
Mr. Romero,
Your post here says much about your former employer and its management practices, which, sadly, are more the norm than the exception in the work world these days. The post also says much about you, I think, and much of it not flattering. There's good advice from some folks here. I hope you follow it
Anonymous ["This was an excellent read"]: I published your comment with reservations. I have rejected others for suggesting a sexual undertones when it comes to Cosper's position. It's an offensive notion that when a woman comes to power it's because she got there by using her sexuality, and there was certainly no evidence of that at Entrepreneur.
Frankly, Cosper saved the Sheas money and she probably made them some too by helping to sell advertising and by being in a position to make editorial concessions to advertisers, which she clearly did. What's more -- quite the opposite of the suggestion being made -- Cosper can square up with the boys. From what I understand, she rides high performance motorcycles. The Sheas, particularly the father, are long-time auto racing fans. Finally, she's not stupid. She runs the place like a North Korean dictator, sure, but her eye's always on her power, and anything that gets in the way gets manipulated or booted. It was clear to me that they were happy with her and would continue to back her.
What baffles me is that the Sheas could save money, sell ads AND have a quality product. I used to always use the example of the Emmis-owned Orange Coast, a city/regional magazine. It has an editorial staff of six. It's -- I kid you not -- 10 times better than Entrepreneur. It sells more ads than Entrepreneur too. But it treats its people well. It has a small, hard-working staff. Pretty much every one of those people on-staff, including the editor-in-chief, writes for the magazine each issue. But they're paid well too. And they're some of the best in the business. There's a line out the door of people who would like to work there. The enthusiasm shows. It pays off with the bottom line. Emmis believes in quality as a core part of its business. It believes quality sells ads. I would agree.
The Sheas, frankly, aren't magazine people. And they're too afraid to entrust their brand to people who know what they're doing. So they encourage a culture of mediocrity and servile management so they can call the shots.
[Another example of folks there not even beginning to know what they were doing: They paid $1 a word for online articles, most of which were horrible. I told Cosper it was a little high, and I'm sure she took it to her bosses without crediting me. Suffice to say that rate was reduced].
You are a writer--and you got rates reduced? Come again?
Star: Many if not most of the people contributing online were not professional, fulltime journalists. Anyone who knows the scene knows $1 a word is a lot for online. I simply pointed it out.
So you stopped people from getting it? Why would you do that? To suck up or something? I don't get it. People are trying to make a penny a word online feed--if someone is paying, let them! Just my opinion. Writers are often their own worst enemy, as we see...
Oh, wow. I applied for the staff writing position you ended up getting - I interviewed in August '08. Cosper said some unpleasant (and unwarranted) things to me during the interview and struck me as a real piece of work.
This entry is a real eye-opener. Now I'm *really* glad I didn't get that job!
As one of those online contributors that you say weren't "professional, full-time journalists," I find it pretty offensive that you would A. judge those writers, and B. suggest their pay be lessened. Just because someone is a full-time freelance journalist, it doesn't mean they lack expertise, writing skills or experience. Do you research the bios and resumes of all those freelancers? It's fine to consider articles and writers on a case-by-case basis to determine if they should continue to freelance--if you had been an editor there, and not a staff writer--but it's really disloyal to suggest all online writers deserve less. Can't wait for that to happen to you at one of your freelance gigs.
This is the Anonymous that started with [This was an excellent read].
I'm a woman and I know how these things work. I've been employed at companies where we all were in disbelief on why some women were still employed due to how inefficient they were at doing their job. With 3 of those instances we found out that a, there was a sexual relationship; b, 'friend factor' as in they knew the boss from previous company, c, too hot to fire--yes you read that right. I went into my boss' office and voiced frustration about someone and he told me she was too hot to fire. As in, all the boys liked looking at her. He also told me that I too, was too hot to fire but that I shouldn't take that as start being lax.
Point being: there's always a story. Oh, sorry, one more reason she may still be there is her salary. If Cosper is a bargain so to speak then sure I can see keeping her, especially if you say she also brings in ad revenue. Perhaps she takes commission on that?
Anyway, didn't mean to offend, especially since I'm female.
Good luck with everything.
One of those contributors: Go ahead and use your name and list your experience if you're truly a seasoned journalist. I honestly couldn't find many in our online contributors' roster -- and I'm all up for being corrected -- but posting anonymously without laying out your cards doesn't help your case.
In fact, I do freelance, and I can tell you most of the outlets I've contributed to, including the Los Angeles Times and LA Weekly -- much better publications by miles -- don't pay that much. That's where I was coming from.
I worked with Romero for two months and can vouch for everything he said that took place while I was there. The claim that Romero was fired for failing to carry out his duties is laughable. He was valued, by me and the editor-in-chief, for his experience and his ability to generate a range of story ideas, particularly the two main July features, which, to my surprise, were unassigned when I arrived in late February. In that instance, I went to Romero, asked him if he had any story ideas that he could turn around in short order, and was relieved to see a long list of strong story proposals, which he'd been keeping throughout his time at Entrepreneur. I was looking forward to working more with Dennis, but a gathering storm of concerns led me to leave on very short notice. I'll skip those details and simply say that Romero is a standup guy and a seasoned journalist who conducts himself and respects his profession in a manner that any employer would value. I'm happy to serve as a reference.
This is so dead-on! It really illustrates the problem with mainstream media today, where the bean-counters and incompetents are running completely amuck! You are much better off channeling your passion into your own online experiments to re-invent journalism. I've seen Entrepreneur's repeated job postings for managing editors (and watched the publication's decline), so they obviously have a worsening problem. (Glad I didn't apply for THAT job!) There is really no reason to accept this sort of disrespectful, negative, rude stupidity from an employer. Having been in journalism for 35 years, I recall how the industry was "reinvented" in the 1970s through the "underground press" and "New Journalism" (they spawned the alternative weeklies of today). The Web is an even better vehicle for reinvention, so who needs to deal with the (increasingly irrelevant) mainstream model? Also, welcome to your first "Boss-From_Hell" experience (they'll be many more!) and, of course, welcome to the OC!
While I do not work in the world of journalism, I have a close relative who does. I hate to tell you but broadcast journalism is heading the same way in many markets. A female employee fired by 3 stations in the market became News Director in a "bottom-line" oriented Fox affiliate - and performed much the same way as your "boss". "Sucking up" was the major qualification for remaining on the newsroom staff - truly like a childish high school where quality was of no concern.Much as you experienced, professionalism and ethical behavior in an underling was to be feared and eliminated - one way or another. THE REAL FEAR? What happens to the role of the press and supposed unbiased journalism?
Your publication is obviously for a more focused clientele - but the larger problem is rampant in the industry where "the bottom line" excuses any ethical issues.
I worked once with someone just like Cosper and I recognized every single manipulative, deceitful aspect. These people make you crazy, and yet you don't want to let them drive you away from the job you love, especially when they aren't even qualified to hire you in the first place, never mind judge your work. So you hang around, hoping you can keep doing that work and that someone will eventually notice how utterly incompetent and untrustworthy they are.
Then you realize: They serve a function that nobody wants to name. They schmooze with the people who need schmoozing, come up with the schemes that the real journalists can't stomach and the sales people think won't fly. They do whatever they're told, and lie to whomever they have to to make sure it happens even if it flies in the face of everything they're telling everyone the magazine is about. And they look very polished and smooth, at the same time that they don't know how to edit and don't want to do any work that doesn't involve conning someone. If they would just be honest, admit that their strength is dealing with ad stuff and tell you that you can do what you're good at -- writing and reporting -- all would be well. But they can't do that, because it compromises the illusion of omnipotence that their narcissism demands.
And frankly, the complainers above to the contrary, these people thrive in the culture where it's not cool to name names. They trade on survivors' unwillingness to describe the horrors they've left so that they can land a good job somewhere else. People who think you should have just kept quiet are welcome to the yes-men and weasels who do just that.
It's evidence of your talent that you've managed to land good work but can afford to put the exact truth as you see it out there. And it's evidence of your independence that you have described the real details, whatever the cost. Good work. All of American business would profit if people were more honest about what really goes on there. I say this as someone who wasn't, except here and there, and wishes she had been.
Confirms what competent editors and publisher always knew - user generated content is horse shit. Wasted read. Private equity ruined the publishing business years ago - content people haven't yet figured that out. Why do you think a web strategy, social networking and an event model are necessary? Deal multiples are much greater for "integrated media platforms." Let's forget the private equity imperialists and focus on the information needs of the audience. Again - crap journalism for whiny journalists - how deserving!
Hey Dennis
Sorry to hear about how all of that went down. Even from being on the other side I know that your work was always great to read as a "reader" and that your ideas were ahead of the mainstream. I like the part when you say you were going to interview Mark Burnett (for Shark Tank) and that the story got buried. That should've been a feature for them! Anyway I will keep in contact if I hear of anything.
Best,
Melissa
Oh, this has been such an interesting read! So many comments I could share.
If you notice people calling her "Cosper" they have either worked with her or are a friend. For some reason she always wnated to be reffered to by her last name. Juvenille and unprofessional in my opinion.
I worked with Amy for a while. Anyone who stands behind her is either young and hasn't realized what she is or someone who has not spent a lot of time around her and still believes her game.
In most cases I'd say someone who a peice like this is burning a bridge, in this case it is doing the world a favor.
She prides herself on being the "office bitch". Is that really who we want to be working with or for?
She talks a great game but is completely incompetent. Her management skills send people running to new jobs.
I'm glad she's finally being exposed in such a public forum.
Sorry about the raw deal, but I'm confident you'll do well somewhere else. You've got to love the freedom social networking allows!
Don't ever regret the situation - it will help you to enjoy the next good one all that much more. BTW, I'll never look at that mag again.
Best wishes!
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