Journalists’ lives three times more likely to suck

That’s right, because most journalists are three times more likely to be out of a job. (Or into something else.) According to a study by UNITY: Journalists of Color, while the rest of the country is losing its jobs at an 8 percent rate, journalists are being shed at a 22 percent rate. I couldn’t help but wonder who UNITY’s 2009 Layoff Tracker Report was really tracking. I mean, was I tracked? Because if so, I most certainly was not notified.

Either way that means we have three times more the reasons to wallow and complain.

I especially enjoyed what Onica N. Makwakwa, executive director of UNITY, had to say about the study.

“These numbers confirm that the economic downturn has hit the news industry very, very hard.”

It has finally been confirmed officially, guys. We’ve been hit very, very hard. But wait, there’s more!

“As the news industry shapes a new future and companies battle the financial storm, it’s important to remember that it’s about people too,” said Makwakwa.

Oh my goodness, good point, brah! What about the families?

But before you get too worried about the people battling the raging financial storms, just know that in the end, I finally read down to the last paragraph of this UNITY story. I learned that the report was compiled using SEC filings and self-reported data from media outlets.

But I still kinda wonder how many lost journos there are out there, unrecorded…

And in case you’d like to read a copy of the report, by all means, knock yourself out.

Your ≠ You’re

Found a new exciting Web site today called MuckRack.com.

What if you could get tomorrow’s newspaper today?

Now you sorta can, by tracking the short messages on Twitter written by the journalists who do the muckraking for major media outlets.

Muck Rack makes it easy to follow one line, real time reporting.

If you are a journalist on Twitter or know of anyone not yet included in Muck Rack, please let us know.

I was so close to signing up. And I probably will. But in the process of signing up a big, glaring YOUR stared me in the face.

TYPE “SELF” IF YOUR ADDING YOURSELF!?! Please, I beg of you, fix this spelling error, MuckRack.com! A site representing journalists that made a your/you’re error? Not OK.

Are you ready for a layoff?

Yes.

I was reminded of a piece I worked on back in October 2008 called “Are you ready for a layoff?”

Hmmm….

So glad about that nest egg I’ve saved up over the years.