NCEW job bank lacks resources.

NO ONE HAS TO BE TOLD about the serenity-challenging stresses of working in an industry in a "right-sizing" mode, especially editorial writers.

Laboring in the vineyards of opinion traditionally has been quite stable, as editorial writers generally tended to practice their craft at the same newspaper for several years.

Should the job prove to be less than satisfying or challenging, the opportunities to seek greener pastures seemed wider once upon a time, and job mobility seemed to be relatively freer.

The pastures, as is obvious to anyone who has sought them lately, are more tightly fenced now. People are becoming more resigned to carrying on where they are in the face of diminished opportunities.

For several years, NCEW has offered a referral service for both job-seekers and publishers seeking to fill editorial writing positions. That service has been conducted under the auspices of the vice president acting as a clearinghouse for members and non-members alike.

Frankly, the job resembles that of the Maytag repairman these days.

As of this writing, only two openings have been posted with the NCEW job bank: in Dayton, Ohio, and Asbury Park, N.J. Only seven persons seeking new positions have placed resumes in the file.

Either folks are as happy as opinionated clams in high water, or the tight economy resulting in meager prospects for embarking on new career paths has blunted editorialists' confidence and optimism, creating fear that the greener pastures may have been staked out in anticipation of construction on the information superhighway.

This brief essay serves as a petition to urge NCEW members to appeal to those with responsibilities for hiring writers at their places of employment to notify the vice president when openings occur. To the extent that they may have contact with employers elsewhere, they should feel encouraged to urge those publishers or editors to notify NCEW of any openings that they anticipate.

The job bank should operate both as resource to serve the career objectives of NCEW members and also as a potential avenue of attracting more people into opinion writing -- and thus membership in NCEW.

That won't happen without the active networking of all our members seeking to strengthen our own ranks. When times are tight, as they are now, we all can use the churn of creative ideas to open avenues to match jobs with aspiring applicants.

Please respond with possible openings or potential applicants. Failing that, forward those creative ideas for advancing the cause to the slow-witted current steward of the job bank as how better to offer an NCEW service in the best interests of editorial writing.

Write to Tommy Denton, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, P.O. Box 1870, Fort Worth TX 76101, or fax [phone].

NCEW vice president Tommy Denton is senior editorial writer at the Forth Worth Star-Telegram.