American Journalism Review has a piece that profiles a handful of newspaper employees who have lost their jobs—including Erica Smith who founded the website Paper Cuts, which tallies all the layoffs in the newspaper industry. (If you were curious, she counted 15,554 newspaper cuts in 2008.)

The article makes some surprising points. Although many former journalists have found work in positions that offer less prestige and income (the majority of those who found work are “doing everything from public relations to teaching to driving a bus and clerking in a liquor store”), they tend to be happier in their new jobs. Mike Peluso, a former newspaper journalist in his 50’s who segued into media relations in 2002 had this to say:

“I miss the newsroom that I left,” Peluso adds. “I don’t miss what I’m certain it became.” He describes newspapers today as “continually reining in ambitions.”

At newspapers today, “there’s no other way to feel other than beat down, and I’m glad I’m not there to be beat down,” he says. “My blood pressure is at least 20 points better than when I was in the newsroom. That’s no lie,” he says, adding, “Getting laid off six years ago was the best thing that ever happened to me.”

“We were there at the top, the best time to be in it,” he says. “The ’80s were a blast, the ’90s were a bit more stressful, but the last few years—who’d want to be there?”

If ever there was a death knell for an industry, that was it