Village Idiot
28.09.2009, 13:37
So, I have a dilemma. But, to come to it, a brief intro.
I have worked as a journalist covering the financial markets and macroeconomy for the past 4 years, and in six months ago I have become the editor of the stock markets segment in a daily newspaper covering business here. I love my job, it pays well, I met a lot of interesting and influential people through my work and travelled all through Europe.
The most important things in my company, that I have been with for the past year and a half, were the opportunites that I have been given, and the good personal relations with my co-workers.
The newspaper was owned by a big swedish publishing company that guaranteed us complete journalistic freedom, which, in the small country that I live in, especially because of the economy ruled by political interests, is not to be taken for granted. In return, we were the most feared and influencial newspaper dealing with economy here.
But, coinciding with me being appointed editor, was the sale of the newspaper to new, local owners.
After they fired the editor in chief and deputy editor in chief right after taking over the newspaper (and did that in the most back stabbing manner possible), in the past few months they have started interfering with editorial policies, and even administering blatant censorship of certain topics and texts that have to do with the biggest companies here. Also, I have sources that claim the new owners are already trying to sell the newspaper to the second biggest publishing company here.
The new editor in chief was installed to do just that, claim to be all for freedom of speech, but is in fact their puppet.
So, I got the offer to go work for a PR agency, handling some of their biggest clients, the biggest privately owned financial company (brokerage and investment funds) in the country, and the bank that is part of the same group. I never thought I would be a PR officer, and am still not really into this idea, even though the pay is as good, with better hours and potential new client fees.
The thing is, this brokerage is now being investigated for one of the biggest market manipulations ever in the country, that has to do with a secret plan by a group of managers to try and take over the biggest food producer in the country with the companies money. A secret and illegal management buyout in which the brokerage served as a parking lot for the companies shares. I on the other hand, just recently discovered and wrote about their previous scandal, and now the PR agency that works for them wants me to take care of their account. Do I want my name associated with them now?
I would gladly resign and go to another newspaper, but as I am sure you know, the situation for print media isn't that good here or anywhere else, and here all the other media (and I'm not exaggerating) is in some sort of peace treaty with big companies that put out ads in those newspapers, so it would be hard for me to do my job properly.
So, what to do? Stay where I'm at now, dealing with censorship and worsened personal relations (this is a whole other story), try to find another job as a journalist because I love it or start a new career in PR, where I am sure I would do good and make even better money, but give up my dream of being editor in chief of a daily newspaper before I turn 35?
I have worked as a journalist covering the financial markets and macroeconomy for the past 4 years, and in six months ago I have become the editor of the stock markets segment in a daily newspaper covering business here. I love my job, it pays well, I met a lot of interesting and influential people through my work and travelled all through Europe.
The most important things in my company, that I have been with for the past year and a half, were the opportunites that I have been given, and the good personal relations with my co-workers.
The newspaper was owned by a big swedish publishing company that guaranteed us complete journalistic freedom, which, in the small country that I live in, especially because of the economy ruled by political interests, is not to be taken for granted. In return, we were the most feared and influencial newspaper dealing with economy here.
But, coinciding with me being appointed editor, was the sale of the newspaper to new, local owners.
After they fired the editor in chief and deputy editor in chief right after taking over the newspaper (and did that in the most back stabbing manner possible), in the past few months they have started interfering with editorial policies, and even administering blatant censorship of certain topics and texts that have to do with the biggest companies here. Also, I have sources that claim the new owners are already trying to sell the newspaper to the second biggest publishing company here.
The new editor in chief was installed to do just that, claim to be all for freedom of speech, but is in fact their puppet.
So, I got the offer to go work for a PR agency, handling some of their biggest clients, the biggest privately owned financial company (brokerage and investment funds) in the country, and the bank that is part of the same group. I never thought I would be a PR officer, and am still not really into this idea, even though the pay is as good, with better hours and potential new client fees.
The thing is, this brokerage is now being investigated for one of the biggest market manipulations ever in the country, that has to do with a secret plan by a group of managers to try and take over the biggest food producer in the country with the companies money. A secret and illegal management buyout in which the brokerage served as a parking lot for the companies shares. I on the other hand, just recently discovered and wrote about their previous scandal, and now the PR agency that works for them wants me to take care of their account. Do I want my name associated with them now?
I would gladly resign and go to another newspaper, but as I am sure you know, the situation for print media isn't that good here or anywhere else, and here all the other media (and I'm not exaggerating) is in some sort of peace treaty with big companies that put out ads in those newspapers, so it would be hard for me to do my job properly.
So, what to do? Stay where I'm at now, dealing with censorship and worsened personal relations (this is a whole other story), try to find another job as a journalist because I love it or start a new career in PR, where I am sure I would do good and make even better money, but give up my dream of being editor in chief of a daily newspaper before I turn 35?