Seems the word of her death was greatly exaggerated…
Sources at the Kansas City Star say reporter Dawn Bormann may not be well, but she’s still alive. That in the wake of news that the newspaper has asked Bormann and fellow reporter Karen Dillon to decide which of them must go in this week’s round of layoffs.
If push comes to shove, Dillon with seniority, is reportedly in the position to make the call, and quit or send Bormann packing.
They have until next week to decide, but the story went viral yesterday – with anybody and everybody in the journalism racket weighing in on the cruel and unusual a position the Star placed its two reporters in – so anything could happen at this point.
“They’re still waiting for Karen to make the decision,” says a source at the newspaper.
And the two children, thought by many to be Karen’s, are actually her grandchildren.
“Karen has a daughter and she has two children that are about 10 or 12 years old,” the source says. “They don’t live with Karen but they live in close proximity and Karen is their rock because Karen’s daughter has some mental disabilities. She can function on her own with her children – but she needs some help.”
As for picking who lives or who dies, “It’s a no brainer,” says the source. “An older mother with a disabled daughter and two grandchildren versus a young woman with a baby and husband who has a job with insurance benefits. Karen has to make the obvious choice but it’s still gut wrenching.”
The other stories:
Star Unleashes ‘Hunger Games’ on Two Joco Reporters
The journalism world notices 18th and Grand, but not for beef
Experts give thumbs down to Hunger Games scheme
Star Morale at all-time low
The publisher responds.
The manager more than likely was told that payroll needed to be cut by a certain amount and came up with this hairbrained scheme to avoid making a decision she was getting paid to make. If I was her boss, I would fire her for passing the buck and refusing to do her job. This individual is obviously not cut out for management. There are many individuals, while possibly being smart enough, do not take management jobs because they don’t like this kind of responsibility.
There’s “taking one for the team” (which my father essentially did 22 years ago when The Times and The Star were combined) and then there’s this. When will the McClatchy MADNESS end? This is no way to run a company! Can you just imagine the external chaos and internal confusion that would have played out 100 years ago had the captain of the Titanic, Mr. Smith, announced to the passengers that they would have to decide among themselves who was (or wasn’t) truly worthy of occupying a small amount of space aboard one of the relatively few lifeboats attached to the ill-fated liner?