The meeting

The dismal economy and ever-dwindling state of the newspaper industry finally had an effect on me today; luckily in the least damaging way possible.
The boss hung a mysterious note yesterday announcing a 9 a.m. staff meeting on Friday. All of our staff meetings are at 4 p.m. on Tuesdays and usually only once a month, if that. We just had one Tuesday.
My coworkers and I have heard from industry colleagues at other papers about "the meeting" and we knew our time had come.
Most of us spent Thursday night pondering what Friday morning would bring - layoffs? furloughs? worse? We discussed the possibilities with each other and went to bed wondering.
Unfortunately, I had to attend a Chamber of Commerce breakfast before the big meeting. I never enjoy these assignments. There is a lot of hobnobbing and small talk, plus they force me to start work at the ungodly hour of 7 a.m. To make matters worse, they took the coffee pots away at 7:30 a.m., and I was left in a decaffeinated state, wondering what my professional future held.
At 9 a.m., we slowly walked into the conference room with blank stares on our face. Since we were all summoned at once, I assumed layoffs were not a possibility. They could not can us all, and they certainly would not announce a man's demise in front of his peers.
The result wasn't pretty, but certainly bearable. Until the end of June, we will work 37.5 hours a week instead of 40. There will be financial consequences, but luckily in the smallest increments imaginable. Other newspapers have implemented five consecutive day furloughs, having a daunting effect on paychecks. Five hours a pay period is doable.
Hopefully the newspaper industry will bounce back. Contrary to popular belief, not everyone reads the news online; but what is even more sad is that not too many people read the news. Every week, I hear people gossip about local affairs. While they ponder about what is really happening, I tell them the answer was in the newspaper.
Reporters are only human, and we do make mistakes or miss news; but we also clear up the rampant rumors, tell you who died the day before and who got a DUI on the weekend. The newspaper is also there when you want to announce your child's birthday, brag about the service award you received or announce your support for a local candidate.