Weep for the Gray Lady
Posted on Monday, October 19th, 2009 at 4:43 pm
photo credit: andreac-84
It’s a sad day at the New York Times today. The announcement was made that 100 people in the newsroom (currently 1250 folks) will have to accept a buyout by the end of the year—or there will be layoffs to reach that number.
Somehow appropriately, editor Bill Keller was out sick (this whole thing would make me sick, too) and so delivered the news by email, which you can read here.
“This is not a good day,” said John Geddes, the paper’s managing editor, to the assembled staff in the newsroom after reading Mr. Keller’s email aloud.
I feel for you guys, I really do. But … I have to give the NYT props for their handling of the situation. Giving people a voluntary buyout option is quite gentlemanly, I think.
There are other places that just kick you out straight away, and then hold “restructuring” meetings in front of you as you pack up your sad little belongings and swig bad swag-bag tequila. Not that I know anything about that.
Oy, in other unhappy news: Wired, Lucky, and Glamour all hit by the layoff stick today. Stay strong, brothers and sisters…
