The Spokane Spokesman-Review, the “little” paper that has been exploring new ways of committing journalism for as long as anyone, is blogging the inside word on its newsroom layoffs. It’s Daily Briefing site, usually a webcast of editorial meetings, had this yesterday:
Not a webcast meeting, but…
There’s been some newsroom changes that will affect news output. Today’s 4:00 special edition meeting was an internal staff huddle. Everybody.
There have been layoffs today. Editor Steve Smith said the names of those laid off can only be released by those people themselves.
There are no announcements yet about any switching around of staff, but there will be significant change in what people do on a daily basis.
“We will be a smaller newspaper when this is over,” Smith said, but he said The S-R has the potential to remain a great but small newspaper.
Smith said he cannot promise or guarantee that layoffs will not happen again.
- The company is still accepting voluntary layoffs and retirements.
- Extra board has taken a cut
- The pool of correspondents has taken a cut
- Intern opportunities are cutThere are no plans to cut Voices, yet, but plans to launch the West Plains voice are on hold.
Is there a possibility that the newspaper is up for sale?
“What I am told – repeatedly and categorically is No,” Smith said.
But nothing is certain and there will be more information next week.
Smith also blogged about the layoffs in the News is Conversation portion of the paper’s website.
That level of openness and candor, which journalists regularly demand of the institutions they cover, is a rare thing in the world those journalists actually inhabit. Condolences to the Spokane folk who have lost their jobs; kudos to the newspaper for baring the pain in public.
SOURCE: NEWSPAPER DEATH WATCH | TAGS: NEWSPAPERS, LAYOFFS, TRANSPARENCY, SPOKANE
