When the year started, the news business was already convulsing under a wave of downsizing and transformation. New media displaced old. Content centers supplanted newsrooms. Talented journalists lost their jobs. Just like in the larger economy, it was getting ugly out there.

Sadly, that was just the beginning.

As the country slowly began to emerge from its slump, the upturn didn't seem to extend to journalism. I witnessed it in my own shop and experienced it personally. We had a massive layoff in September, more than 100 people - a third of our staff. Those of us who remained were cut back to part-time status or were forced to take pay cuts. Our air product suffered, the critics noticed, and our ratings plunged. After more than a decade in first place, we fell to third.

I've been through downturns and layoffs before, and I want to remain optimistic. But I'm afraid much of what has happened may be permanent, or "the new normal" as some like to say. Especially in some companies, there seems to be an obsession with squeezing down to the barest minimum staff or even beyond it, then squeezing again to extract more productivity across more platforms. This strategy may succeed in increasing the quantity of news product. And it will kill quality of news product. There is no doubt about it.

So where does that leave the unemployed or underemployed journalist? Having recently joined this category, I won't presume to tell others what they should do. I have no answers. Just some ideas, mainly for myself:

Only The Best - It's easy to get angry when your 5-day week shrinks to a 3-day week and your paycheck may not pay the rent. And it's easy to express that anger by "phoning it in" at the office. Why bust a gut for a company that doesn't reciprocate? Well, I plan to keep busting. Every story I write will be the best it can be. I'm not taking shortcuts and I'm not dialing back. I'm keeping my personal standards high, perhaps even higher than ever. Pride is at stake. So is dignity. Not to mention reputation. Those things matter, whether or not they still contribute to employment longevity.

Get Even Better - I've done the same thing, in pretty much the same way, for a lot of years. It's been comfortable, I'm good at it and I've enjoyed it. But it's no longer enough. I'm going to look for ways to stretch, to learn new things and pick up new skills, increasing my value in my current job and, should it come to that, improving employability down the road.

Upward Only - If job-hunting becomes necessary, I will try to make sure that any future career steps bring me to a better, more rewarding place. I'm done with lateral or backward moves. Much easier said than done, of course, and when finances get tight I could well change my tune. But for sanity's sake, I hope not.

Open Door - I've never had a Plan B. When people asked, "What would you do if you didn't do news?" I've been stumped for an answer. I work in a noble profession. It's the truth business! How could I possibly do anything else? Well, maybe I can. Maybe there are greater needs out there that I can fill. Maybe instead of just writing about the ills of the world, I can hook up with folks who are trying to fix things. Maybe a charity or other worthy cause needs some well-crafted words to help get its message across. Maybe a green company that's changing the world needs someone to tell people about it. Or perhaps a future leader with righteous ideas can use some oratorical assistance. Hey, I'm not quitting the day job (actually in my case it's a night job). But I'm thinking.

OK, before this starts to sound like Rosenberg's Book of Sappy Affirmations, let me wrap it up this way: I don't know what's coming, not for me and certainly not for you. I'm a little worried. But I'm also a little excited. Interesting combination of emotions. We'll see what happens.

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