June 22, 1992

Today would have been my 18th anniversary at the Amarillo Globe-News. Instead, it has been nearly a year since I had to quit work.

People are always asking me if I miss working. Well, yes and no. I enjoyed the work I did, editing stories, writing headlines and designing news pages. But the newspaper has changed a lot through the years, and not all of the changes have been good.

When I started in 1992, the Globe-News was the most prominent newspaper in the area. It was actually two papers: the morning Amarillo Daily News and the evening Globe-Times. The two papers merged in 2001. Since that time, the newspaper has continued to shrink, both in size and coverage area. It once covered all of the Texas Panhandle and parts of New Mexico, Oklahoma and Kansas. Today, its coverage extends to only a fraction of that area.

The economy has taken its toll on the whole newspaper industry. Many papers have been forced to make cutbacks. The Globe-News has seen several rounds of layoffs in recent years. It's always sad when that happens. I saw many good writers and editors let go during my time at the paper.

It also seemed that the Globe-News forced many old-school journalists out in favor of younger ones with "fresh ideas." That never seemed right to me. I know the paper had to change to keep up with new technology and the way people get their news. But I thought management could have treated these veteran journalists better. These seasoned editors and reporters still have a lot to offer the newspaper industry.

Technology has really changed the face of newspapers. Papers have to be more visually appealing to keep readers' attention, or so the experts have told us. As a result,editing and reporting sometimes suffered. Copy editors don't have time to spend editing and fact-checking because they have been told to make the page "look good." It takes a lot of time and effort to design a page with all kinds of photos and eye-popping graphics.

That's my take on the newspaper business. I am thankful for the years I had with the Globe-News. I met a lot of interesting people along the way, and I made a lot of great memories. And those memories will last forever. I wouldn't have missed the ride for anything.