The January 24 buyout deadline for Times employees is upon us, and so far only a small handful of journalists has decided to leave the Gray Lady voluntarily.
Managing editor John Geddes, who noted in his departure memo that he had served under four executive editors, announced that he was taking the buyout, though he was unclear on his future plans. Read More
On Friday afternoon, prompted by a survey in which journalism was ranked among the worst jobs in the country, New York Times media reporter David Carr asked a question: How do America’s journalists feel about their jobs? Carr opened the question up to commenters, who cut a pretty wide swath of opinions. One commenter, however, stood out above the rest, giving less an answer than a hilariously trolling story about a particularly high-ranking Timesman’s ascent.
But this wasn’t just any ordinary commenting troll. Read More
THE VETS ARE OPTING OUT. Yesterday, The Observer reported on eight New York Times veterans who’ve taken voluntary buyouts from the paper—including Metro columnist Clyde Haberman and T Magazine executive editor Andy Port—initiated by an October memo from editorial brass to the newsroom. News of who took the buyouts were announced via a series of internal tributes from the contemporaries of those leaving the paper.
Later in the day, three more buyouts emerged: two—including celebrated business reporter Diana B. Henriques—had been reported over the weekend, and the other quietly announced on Twitter.
This afternoon, The Observer has received word of another name to add to the list: Alan Finder, a 28-year veteran of the paper. Mr. Finder’s professional history and pedigree as a journalist and editor are typical of many of those who have taken the paper up on the most recent round of buyouts: extensive, and deeply rooted in the paper’s legacy. Read More
IN MID-OCTOBER, a memo was sent out to all New York Times editorial staffers, from recently-installed Times executive editor Jill Abramson, managing editor Dean Baquet, and managing editor for news operations John M. Geddes: plans to reducing the newsroom with a series of voluntary buyout packages were underway, with Ms. Abramson’s projected count at “fewer than 20.”
Over the last week, news of eight buyouts—including veteran columnists Clyde Haberman and George Vecsey, as well as T Magazine‘s executive editor Andy Port—and tributes to the respectively retired Timespeople were circulated internally, a cache of which we posted earlier. There are two three that we missed, and one that we didn’t (but could’ve). UPDATED. Read More
OVER THE WEEKEND, the New York Times‘ ‘Sports of the Times’ columnist George Vecsey surprised regular readers with his Saturday column this week, which he used to announce a change in his schedule: “it is time to step back (not using the R-word) and write for the paper occasionally.”
Mr. Vecsey was one of several Times veterans who signed off on the latest round of buyout packages recently offered to the paper’s staffers, many of whom were publicly mourned on Twitter by Times staffers (“Some really good people leaving @nytimes with the latest round of voluntary buyouts. Paper will be less w/o them,” one wrote).
The Observer was recently passed on a series of communiques from the Times in-house blog detailing who took the buyouts. In addition to Mr. Vecsey, a 30-year veteran of the paper, they are: Read More
“We are not waiting in line. We are conducting journalism here,” said George Rush to a young man making his way to the bathroom last night.
Mr. Rush was standing at the back of the Irish bar McGarry’s on Ninth Avenue, just a few blocks away from the Daily News offices on 33rd Street, at Read More
About 30 staffers, or 9 percent of the Daily News editorial team, took Mort Zuckerman’s latest buyout offer.
The paper will be left with fewer than 300 members on the editorial staff after Friday, the last day any staffers can take the offer.
Gossip man George Rush was among those who chose a buyout, Read More
The Daily News has issued another round of buyouts, offering employees one week’s pay for every six months they have been with with the paper, according to Daily Intel.
Keith Kelly also has the story this morning, but his sources say the offer is one week’s pay for every year of employment.
This Read More
And another one drops at the Washington Post! Michael Calderone at Politico is reporting that legendary writer David Broder is the latest to take a buyout from the paper, though he’ll remain on contract. The 78-year-old Broder told Calderone there were two reasons he’s leaving: (1) he can get off the newsroom budget, and Read More
Romenesko has a memo from the Guild that says the deadline to apply for a Times buyout has been extended from yesterday to March 7. That’s because other than a few high-profile volunteers–Linda Greenhouse, David Cay Johnston–there haven’t been nearly enough applicants.
Even filing for a buyout–described by one as "raising your hand Read More
