More "fun" with New Mexico magazine

 I've written before about some of the foibles at the magazine, most in the name of New Agey-type pseudoscience. Well, time for a new round of that and more, from that magazine's last three issues.

The November 2023 issue has Christina Selby, who says she's been going to Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge to see the sandhill cranes for years, talk with refuge staff about how drought is affecting how much food the refuge can have on site (seeding NWRs with grains for birds gets my goat in general and is a whole other topic), how climate change is affecting their migration and more.

So, Selby talks about other birds that can be seen there, including "dowagers." Now, I know a dowager can be called an "old bird," but I don't think they migrate to Bosque del Apache every winter.

Maybe long- and short-billed dowitchers do, but Selby can't be that ardent of a birder if that's not even spelled correctly. I webmailed her about that; we'll see if I get a response. If so, I'll add it here.

A week later, no response. I suspect that because she bills herself as a freelance science writer and other things, there won't be one.

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December's issue had an interesting story about rock-hounding. The most interesting part is that it put the east side of the Rio Grande, north of White Sands, to the WEST of Socorro, saying that the rock-hounding group north of White Sands had to travel east to get back to Socorro. Maybe one too many beers at San Antonio's Buckhorn along with a green chile burger?

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Then, directly tying to that older piece? One story in the "Lowdown" section is called "Star Maps." It then has this extended kicker header:

This year, let the zodiac chart your travel plans to a captivating, mystical, or iconic New Mexico destination.

And yes, it was travel "horoscopes." And, as generic, other than mentioning NM travel spots, as horoscopes in general. I assume the Katy Kelleher who wrote is minor book author, with a Tweet like this.

I complained on Facebook, then blocked a nutter who had a nutter response.

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Just as the state, riffing on its motto, is often "The Land of Disenchantment," so it is with the magazine.

More local news isn't the (total) answer for local newspapers

Good piece here from two academics. The TL/DR is that more local features stories and things like that has to be part of the issue.

And, yeah, corporate media can sort of do remote stories about city council meetings and other local government meetings, getting agendas off websites and emailing city managers, county executives and school superintendents.

But, the only way to do a feature story about someone who has biked across the country for a cancer fundraiser is to interview them. The only way to do a story about a business' 100th anniversary is to get history out of local archives and talk to people.

And, this says nothing of photos for things like this.

Nor does it consider local lifestyles type stories from or about clubs and organizations. Even if that is submitted, somebody local and onsite will know how much, or how little, play a particular submission needs.

And, that takes people power, on site. Period.

The pair even cite statistics that coverage of local elections does NOT spike local news readership.

Tell me you're a capitalist without telling me ...

 I recently was interviewed by a recruiter. (Whom I may name here at some point later.)

Asked about why did I leave job X after 2.5 years, job Y after 1.5, job Z after 2, etc.

First, as I noted, every move but one of mine in the last 15 years has been related to the turmoil in the newspaper industry. Guess I should be putting that more up-front on the resume, but, nonetheless, I have no problem explaining it.

Second, I not only kept my head above water but in general (in nominal dollars, at least) moved forward financially. That's not a nothingburger in today's newspaper world.

And, said recruiter said she had decades in the newspaper business before setting up shop as a recruitment and placement company for various media companies. Mentioned Wick (meh), Hearst (blech) and others.

But, of course, the recruiter's spiel was "newspapers don't want to pay to relocate you" etc. if they think you'll leave in a couple of years. 

Rather than asking right away if these changes were because of newspaper industry turmoil and decimation.

Oh, I understand. 

That said, if the job is good enough, I'll be staying. And, by that, I mean not only pay, but in general.

No bosses who got to be the boss allegedly per one old-fashioned way, which, sadly, still happens. (And, it does take two to tango.)

No going back to places where, if books weren't actually cooked, they did seem to have been padded on how advertising was treated.

Anyway, said recruiter mentioned she represented Wick, among others, and I mentioned one interview. Probably why no follow-up. Oh, well.

Part of me says, "Yeah, it sucks."

Part of me, besides, "It's capitalism," says this whole idea of being "first," on news that doesn't necessarily warrant it, is an issue itself.

Part of me looks at companies phoning shit in and says "Peter Principle."

Part of me notes that said recruiter looked at town where I lived, not actual location of the two newspapers and takes that into account.

I did learn some resume tweak ideas, even if the recruiter didn't email me the ideas in detail because they wrote me off. But, what makes a "good" resume seems to change every five years. Isn't that itself part of capitalism? Rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic to make you stumble into the furniture?

Beyond that? I decided to go halfway "in your face" with the new one for newspaper journalism jobs.  Nothing to lose.

Finally? This is also a reminder that recruiters ALWAYS work for employers first, employees second.

I wish I could remember her name now.

The publisher of the newspaper in South Dakota for Wick? Spit the bit and went to work for Cherry Road a few months later.

And, I now present Dave Shabaz.

Giving Focus Daily News and Marlon Hanson a good kick

 The Daily Snooze (not to be confused with the Dallas Morning Snooze) still claims to be a five-day daily, but, what would you get with that?

Archived as well as current e-editions are all paywalled, so I don't know.

That said, the last freebie "special section" available for view on the website? And, this is why "special section" is in scare quotes! A four-page 2020 Veterans Day "special section," where P1 is a full page editorial cartoon and 2-4 are listings of restaurants that give discounts to veterans. Oops, that's a three-pager, not four, so it was "special pages," not a section. Unless Marlon ran a blank fourth page.

That said, at least on the website, in this restaurant review, The Colony is in the Best Southwest along with Cedar Hill, DeSoto, Duncanville and Lancaster. 

And, he's running unedited press releases as news.

This all said, I don't know if his wife passed, or what. She's not on their "about" page. Don't know why he's still running it, then. He's over 70 — in fact, guessing by his LinkedIn, over 75 — and can surely retire, unless scraping digital newspaper floors for cigar butts still drives him along. Maybe it's the car reviews, and the free test-drive cars, that keep his motor running, so to speak.

I gave it the label of "fake news" because, while not in a pink slime sense, I think it is little more than fake news by press release any more. Take the T-Mobile press release. If Marlon's running that instead of getting a T-Mobile ad ...

And, also on fake news? I believe even less Marlon's claim of a 15K circ today than an 18K circ 15 years ago.