N.Y DAILY NEWS SLICES HALF ITS NEWSROOM STAFF

For Grumpy Editor, it was sad to see The New York Daily News, once the country’s largest-circulation newspaper and winner of 11 Pulitzer prizes, eliminate half of its newsroom last week as part of a broader effort to refocus the newspaper.

 

One tally indicated the newsroom was down to only 45 journalists.  That compared with 400 in 1988. 

 

Staffers were notified of the cuts via emails from its human resources department. The notifications also detailed a new direction for the paper, with an increased focus on breaking news, particularly stories about crime, civil justice and public responsibility. 

 

At it’s peak the Daily News published three million copies a day.

 

"This is a loss for New York City, for journalism, and on a smaller scale there are a lot of really good people going to be looking for work,” said Zach Haberman, who was breaking news editor.

Local newspapers continue to operate in a difficult economic reality, with publications across the country cutting jobs. 

A recent Pew Research Center report found more than one-third of U.S. newspapers experienced layoffs between January 2017 and April this year.

Media conglomerate Chicago-based Tronc bought The Daily News last September, adding it to a stable of other newspapers and magazines that include The Chicago Tribune and The Baltimore Sun.

 

 

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