Bob CollinsIf you hate democracy and think local governments should operate unchecked and in the dark, then today is a good day for you.
— Jim Rich (@therealjimrich) July 23, 2018
Jim Rich, the editor in chief of the New York Daily News, was laid off today. From his early morning tweet, he saw it coming.
Half of the newspapers reporters and editors are being eliminated in an oh-so-American-workplace way today. They’ve been told to go back to their cubicle farms and wait for the email which will tell them whether they’re staying or going.
The corporate-speak press release included all the usual babble:
“The decisions being announced today reflect the realities of our business and the need to adapt [to] an ever-changing media environment,” the email stated. “They are not a reflection on the significant talent that is leaving today. Let there be no doubt: these colleagues are highly valued and will be missed.”
What to say when you fire half the @nydailynews newsroom, shift it from big-hit investigative work that held officials accountable? From Tronc memo: "I hope you all will join me in thanking our departing colleagues"—departing, amid extra security, by the end of the day. The memo: pic.twitter.com/w3ulArHa8H
— David Beard (@dabeard) July 23, 2018
The newspaper says it plans to do more crime stories. In recent years, it’s focused extensively on a local real estate developer who had higher aspirations.
It was the Daily News, by the way, that published the second-most-famous headline in newspaper history.
(h/t: Paul Tosto)
