Stretched in all directions

On the elasticity required to get the job done.

I made the bold decision to resign from a job I loved last August, as a gesture of solidarity and also in hopes of sparing a couple of people, at least, from being laid off. Since then, I have witnessed a bloodbath in the news industry. Sports Illustrated, once a weekly must-read, has let go of so many of its journalists that it may not survive. The Los Angeles Times lost about 20% of its newsroom employees. The Messenger, a digital startup, shut down suddenly after burning through $50 million in eight months.

I have a lot of thoughts about the level of investment devoted to The Messenger, which promised to revolutionize journalism and delivered more of the same — or worse. One of its former writers wrote on X that he published “630+ stories,” most of them by copying and pasting together the work done by other reporters. The key takeaway is this: The United States is changing, audiences are changing and we continue to waste money on tired formulas based on an outdated idea and understanding of country and audience. On this column I wrote for Bloomberg Opinion (available to you for free), I talk about the cost of layoffs to the long and difficult work of diversifying American media organizations and what is necessary to finally create newsrooms that mirror the communities they cover.

I spent three months after my resignation focused on finishing my memoir, which will soon be on the marketplace, searching for a publisher. (Cross your fingers for me!) I did apply for a handful of jobs, though none of them felt quite right. (There is one, though, that I’m still hoping for, so keep those fingers crossed!) The landscape for journalists has only worsened and as experienced, multi-talented and multi-skilled as I am, the competition is stiff. So I’ve set out to create my own opportunities.

The Bloomberg column represents one of the several doors that have recently opened up to me and I’m grateful for each of them and the paths they have revealed. I’m editing a serial podcast on the intersection of gender and immigration detention, managing the coverage of elections for an independent journalism platform centered on the Latino experience, working with a Puerto Rican journalist to optimize her production schedule and elevate her work, advising an author on writing and marketing of her soon-to-publish book, and leading workshops on storytelling, people management and leadership. Interested? Intrigued? Hop on to my Calendly and book 30 minutes to talk to me about a potential partnership.

Do I feel stretched? Yes. Do I feel grateful? Absolutely. Do I complain about feeling constantly pulled in a lot of different directions? Never! I am privileged to have built a career and connections that have allowed me to keep on going, keep on growing, keep on building and keep on moving forward. Because that’s the only way to go. That’s the only way to get the job done.

To my new subscribers: Welcome!

To my loyal subscribers: Thank you for sticking around, commenting, emailing and sharing your energy with me.

To my paid subscribers: Thank you immensely for your support. It makes a difference. In a few weeks, you’ll start receiving exclusive posts on the process of editing and publishing my memoir. I can’t wait to share these with you!

With love and purpose, always.

Fernanda