Is the newspaper job market bad?

Q: I've been away from the newspaper business for almost nine months. I left it to initially travel to Europe (freelanced for a few magazines and newspapers at the Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy) with the thought that when I returned, because of the extra experience I gained there, I'd find something even better than my previous situation (sports copy editor at a 200,000-plus paper in Los Angeles).

I am interested in moving up to sports editor at a mid-size to 100,000 paper, but so far no luck. I've got 17 years experience in the biz in all facets and I have been a sports editor at a 25,000 circulation paper. Did I just pick a horrible time to take a lengthy break? Seems so to me as even the paper I left, which said they'd take me back, has a hiring freeze. Any thoughts? I'd appreciate any advice you could give me.

Thanks,

SoCal journalist

A: You have it about right. In recent weeks, we have seen buyouts, freezes and layoff announcements at several newspapers and the dissolution of Knight Ridder, formerly the second-largest newspaper company in the country.

It seems that newspapers are beginning to retool themselves for on-line news. I'd get with that. In many ways, copy editors have skills that can translate well to on-line media. You might want to learn some new skills and adjust your career goals for an on-line world.