Week 1 at the Union Tribune

The Union Tribune building is definitely an interesting one. It houses one of the largest printing presses in the country as well as a newsroom, a radio studio and a TV broadcast studio. The lobby is grand with historic printing presses on display (see pictures), but the newsroom itself feels dark and isolated. In 2010, the U-T came under new ownership and facing an Internet evolving industry the paper made many layoffs. This, with the fact that most designers and writers do not come into work until the afternoon, left my first day surrounded by many empty desks.

The newspaper itself is the oldest business in all of San Diego County and the oldest newspaper in Southern California. This historic quality is interesting, though it also comes with the consequence of an older reading age demographic. When speaking with a designer that sits near my desk, she explained that most of our readers are in their 60s or older. I wonder if I will feel this as I am writing for a section that would attract older readers. I was assigned three stories today: the first about a chef at San Diego State University who will be competing in a NACUFS competition in a week, the second about a "showhouse" put on by Coastal Living Magazine and the third about a man who recently created his own line of hot sauces. I am excited to be given so much work. I started researching and setting up interviews immediately.

Office politics seem casual the first week but definitely focused. During the daytime office hours everyone is working quietly and at their desks keeping to themselves. Later in the afternoon, as more staffers come in I notice much more talking. The dress ranges from casual to fairly fancy in the newsroom. I notice younger writers wearing jeans and a button up shirt but older editors wearing dresses or business suits everyday. There doesn’t seem to be any strict dress code, but it is interesting to see certain styles depending on age. The newsroom feels fairly diverse. An equal number of men and women mill about discussing story or graphic ideas. Age demographics lean towards the older side. I feel like one of the youngest people in the newsroom, and while there are a number of people who seem to be in their twenties or thirties, many more seem to be in their fifties and sixties.