At least once a week, I receive an e-mail or hear in the news that a newspaper is downsizing or reorganizing and media employees are losing their jobs. Some receive buy-outs. Some receive farewell parties. Some receive the treatment usually reserved for employees who are fired for unethical conduct — they are told they are fired and have a security guard escort them from their offices, taking only their family photos.

Hundreds of talented journalists are changing jobs — or trying to change jobs.

Poynter president Karen Brown Dunlap announced at our NAAF Youth Services Committee meeting that Poynter is starting a new initiative — Standing Up for Journalists. Poynter wants to help “displaced” journalists receive career advice, training and the ability to stay involved in journalism. Poynter is collecting information from these journalists at coaching@poynter.org

Certainly there are enough displaced journalists to start their own parallel universe (as would happen in Star Trek) of news delivery.