THINK!: NYT Layoff Rumours - Caveat Emptor: From Gawker

New York Times Planning 20% Cuts In Newsroom (Gawker)

5:22 PM on Mon Oct 13 2008

6,552 views

It should not be such a surprise that the New York Times is planning unprecedentedly brutal cuts to its editorial staff for 2009. After all, the newspaper has the most heavily-staffed newsroom in the country, with some 1,200 employees. Advertising revenues have declined at double-digit rates. And—after the recent economic swoon—the business won't be rebounding any time soon. But here's the funny thing about the rumor we're hearing:
The end-year cuts will fall most heavily on the newspaper's softer sections and the Times Magazine—in other words, those parts of the newspaper that are in most demand by advertisers. Publisher Arthur 'Pinch' Sulzberger apparently remains committed to saving the newspaper's pride, its costly and unprofitable hard news. In the words of Marshal Canrobert as he watched the British Light Brigade charge to destruction: "C'est magnifique, mais ce n'est pas la guerre." A rough translation into demotic American: Pinch, you crazy guy.

COMMENTS ON THIS GAWKER PIECE

IW: I have no trust in Gawker, nor do I discount it. Actually, what I find interesting are
a) How many people have read this story (6,552)
b) How many people have commented
c) What they say and what mood music this creates around the NYT. (More anti-NYT/print agitprop but also many coming to the defence of the NYT.

mrsarahpalinsbaby 5:31 PM on Mon Oct 13 2008
Your ass is grass Jennifer 8. Check yo fortune for real yo.

mrsarahpalinsbaby Your ass is grass Jennifer 8. Check yo fortune for real...
3 replies by overunderover, cosmiclove, mrsarahpalinsbaby

overunderover 7:25 PM on Mon Oct 13 2008
@mrsarahpalinsbaby: On a related note, Jennifer's 1 - 7 were spared.

overunderover @ mrsarahpalinsbaby : On a related note, Jennifer's 1 -...

cosmiclove 8:28 PM on Mon Oct 13 2008
@mrsarahpalinsbaby: I just found your fortune cookie. It reads: "Soon you will speak like Sarah Palin for all the future.''

cosmiclove @ mrsarahpalinsbaby : I just found your fortune cookie....

mrsarahpalinsbaby 8:51 AM on Tue Oct 14 2008
@cosmiclove: you betcha!

mrsarahpalinsbaby @ cosmiclove : you betcha!

5:34 PM on Mon Oct 13 2008 1 reply
Larry Bird Flu 5:34 PM on Mon Oct 13 2008
How will I know whether or not to kick a hobo without The Ethicist?

Larry Bird Flu How will I know whether or not to kick a hobo without...
1 reply by Smitros

Smitros 11:56 PM on Mon Oct 13 2008
@Larry Bird Flu: You can always bypass the hobo and kick The Ethicist himself. I know I've wanted to.

Smitros @ Larry Bird Flu : You can always bypass the hobo and...

5:37 PM on Mon Oct 13 2008
belltolls 5:37 PM on Mon Oct 13 2008
I am scrapping my 4,000 word think piece on "The Return of Wicker" right now.

belltolls I am scrapping my 4,000 word think piece on "The Return...

5:39 PM on Mon Oct 13 2008 3 replies
the supergoddess 5:39 PM on Mon Oct 13 2008
I'm not sure I understand the snotty and derisive tone here, Mister Denton. I mean, it's fine that you place the bottom line before all else but why should we flog the Times for having a different set of values from that of Gawker Media?

the supergoddess I'm not sure I understand the snotty and derisive tone...
3 replies by JC Hewitt, Ogiri W Surie, Balsa Wood

JC Hewitt 5:55 PM on Mon Oct 13 2008
@the supergoddess: I think you are getting to the core of the issue a bit, in that the Times has routinely pursued a different set of values than that of the market.
That's not exactly kind to their employees, who are now suffering because of repeated poor business decisions. These are the consequences of irresponsible management - and I wouldn't be surprised if the Times continues to struggle, seeing as they apparently aren't learning their lessons.
You'd expect this sort of bungling from a company run on nepotism, naturally...

JC Hewitt @ the supergoddess : I think you are getting to the core...

Ogiri W Surie 7:48 PM on Mon Oct 13 2008
@the supergoddess: Hear, hear. Yes the Times has a serious issue with it's business model but that no reason to vilify them for trying to adhere to actual journalism. Should they become a tabloid like the Daily Post because that's what's more titillating? No need to answer. I think I know what that answer would be.

Ogiri W Surie @ the supergoddess : Hear, hear. Yes the Times has a...

Balsa Wood 4:08 AM on Tue Oct 14 2008
@Ogiri W Surie: Second that. I can't begin to understand Gawker's adolescent hate on for the Times. "Your management falters, so burn in hell for eternity!"
Seriously: what the hell would we do without the hard journalism sections of the New York Times? What the hell would Gawker do?

Balsa Wood @ Ogiri W Surie : Second that. I can't begin to...

5:51 PM on Mon Oct 13 2008
creggb 5:51 PM on Mon Oct 13 2008
Well said. Cutbacks in the Magazine and Style sections will definitely force gawker to be even more innovative. Just like cutbacks in -- what was it? -- 15-20 per cent of this media group's staff a week ago?

creggb Well said. Cutbacks in the Magazine and Style sections...

6:15 PM on Mon Oct 13 2008
naugahydeinplainsight 6:15 PM on Mon Oct 13 2008
While surprising, it makes sense to me that The Times -- forced to choose -- would focus on the hard-news "product" rather than the much-derided (on Gawker and elsewhere) soft stuff (Styles, anyone?). News, analysis and investigations are what it does best and what you can't find everywhere else. Whatever economic model they use to deliver the paper, there still has to be something worth selling.

naugahydeinplainsight While surprising, it makes sense to me that The Times --...

6:33 PM on Mon Oct 13 2008 2 replies
alorsenfants 6:33 PM on Mon Oct 13 2008
So now, all those proposterous supplement magazines... am thinking in particular of the one called "T"... will no longer exist? And there will be no teaser lines on the main website page leading to you them with that catchy phrase: "It's All About..."
Goodness, how in heavens will I now know what it's All About!

alorsenfants So now, all those proposterous supplement magazines......
2 replies by LongIslandSettee, fileunder

LongIslandSettee 6:42 PM on Mon Oct 13 2008
@alorsenfants: Wait, T is a magazine? I thought it was an advertising supplement. I'm serious - really?

LongIslandSettee @ alorsenfants : Wait, T is a magazine? I thought it was...

fileunder 9:12 PM on Mon Oct 13 2008
@LongIslandSettee: No, that's Key.

fileunder @ LongIslandSettee : No, that's Key .

6:34 PM on Mon Oct 13 2008
alorsenfants 6:34 PM on Mon Oct 13 2008
It's all about being "preposterous", actually --

alorsenfants It's all about being "preposterous", actually --

6:46 PM on Mon Oct 13 2008 2 replies
rajmahall 6:46 PM on Mon Oct 13 2008
Pleeeeeease fire Bill Kristol.

rajmahall Pleeeeeease fire Bill Kristol.
2 replies by KingOfSnake, Ogiri W Surie

KingOfSnake 6:53 PM on Mon Oct 13 2008
@rajmahall: Yeah, because with all the conservative columnists they already have, Kristol is redundant.

KingOfSnake @ rajmahall : Yeah, because with all the conservative...

Ogiri W Surie 8:54 PM on Mon Oct 13 2008
@rajmahall: Yeah, really. His duck lips annoy the shit out of me.

Ogiri W Surie @ rajmahall : Yeah, really. His duck lips annoy the shit...

7:02 PM on Mon Oct 13 2008 5 replies
The Cooler 7:02 PM on Mon Oct 13 2008
I find it interesting that after three weeks of almost non-stop economic meltdown coverage (there's even a mini-site! How cute.) that you completely ignored the stock market bounce today. (Yet, still found room for gloating like this.) Only doom and gloom gets the ink?

The Cooler I find it interesting that after three weeks of almost...
5 replies by JC Hewitt, Ryan Tate, Ryan Tate ...

JC Hewitt 7:13 PM on Mon Oct 13 2008
@The Cooler: Shit, the bounce is way more depressing than a proper drop. You think it's going to stick around...?

JC Hewitt @ The Cooler : Shit, the bounce is way more depressing...

The Cooler 7:24 PM on Mon Oct 13 2008
@JC Hewitt: Irrelevant. It's part of the story, isn't it?

The Cooler @ JC Hewitt : Irrelevant. It's part of the story, isn't...

JC Hewitt 7:35 PM on Mon Oct 13 2008
@The Cooler: Sure.
I'm curious as to why it wasn't covered as well, but for me, today's run-up looked wayyyy too similar to a Zimbabwe Industrial Index chart to be considered happy sunshine news.

JC Hewitt @ The Cooler : Sure. I'm curious as to why it wasn't...

Ryan Tate 10:11 PM on Mon Oct 13 2008
@The Cooler: Um:[gawker.com]

Ryan Tate @ The Cooler : Um: [gawker.com]

Ryan Tate 11:17 PM on Mon Oct 13 2008
@Ryan Tate: Oh never mind, that's what I get for not checking the markets after I wake up. 5 percent is nothing!

Ryan Tate @ Ryan Tate : Oh never mind, that's what I get for not...

8:10 PM on Mon Oct 13 2008
PandoraSpocks 8:10 PM on Mon Oct 13 2008
Get rid of Frank Rich, MoDo and a few of the other entitled real journalist types and there might be more money for the hard news.

PandoraSpocks Get rid of Frank Rich, MoDo and a few of the other...

8:23 PM on Mon Oct 13 2008 2 replies
cosmiclove 8:23 PM on Mon Oct 13 2008
I, for one, hope Gawker doesn't cut its softer sections. They're the best part of the site. Are tumors soft? They should go, then.

cosmiclove I, for one, hope Gawker doesn't cut its softer sections....
2 replies by rudolphdude, cosmiclove

rudolphdude 9:11 PM on Mon Oct 13 2008
@cosmiclove: Oh Tumors are most def hard news.

rudolphdude @ cosmiclove : Oh Tumors are most def hard news.

cosmiclove 10:13 PM on Mon Oct 13 2008
@rudolphdude: Booya!

cosmiclove @ rudolphdude : Booya!

9:31 PM on Mon Oct 13 2008
cassandra 9:31 PM on Mon Oct 13 2008
Maybe they're realizing that their soft sections are not very good. Plus, advertisers for soft sections are usually focused on selling high-end consumer goods, which makes them the most vulnerable to an advertising pullback. So, no real loss.
Besides, maybe they'll make their writers submit actual stories as often as once every two weeks!

cassandra Maybe they're realizing that their soft sections are not...

10:21 PM on Mon Oct 13 2008
cosmiclove 10:21 PM on Mon Oct 13 2008
Now, where will I read that a healthy diet and exercise help lower your blood pressure? Huffpo, I guess. NOT.

cosmiclove Now, where will I read that a healthy diet and exercise...

10:26 PM on Mon Oct 13 2008
cosmiclove 10:26 PM on Mon Oct 13 2008
Is business considered a soft section since it missed the biggest news story of a lifetime?

cosmiclove Is business considered a soft section since it missed...

1:29 AM on Tue Oct 14 2008
Hey_mikey 1:29 AM on Tue Oct 14 2008
Also, what with all the media "coverage" - not to get myself banned from the site or anything -- but not a mention of the fact that, hold on to your hats, the Brits managed to go from seeing the problem to paying out pounds in five days. We're still talking after weeks. Are our guys just dumb, or sadistic?

Hey_mikey Also, what with all the media "coverage" - not to get...

4:19 AM on Tue Oct 14 2008
Swordfish 4:19 AM on Tue Oct 14 2008
As long as they cut the barrage of those insipid T magazines... Bring back the twice-yearly Fashions of the Times! Twice a year, yes. Fourteen times a year, NO!

Swordfish As long as they cut the barrage of those insipid T...

10:45 AM on Tue Oct 14 2008 1 reply
HK_Guy 10:45 AM on Tue Oct 14 2008
Makes perfect sense. Anyone with a computer - hell, with a pencil and an eraser - no, make that a crayon - can write the shit in the Styles sections (case in point: those horrid shopping articles by Mike Albo and Alex Kuczynski or whatever-the-fuck her name is).
Try having one of the myriad "style journalist" (now THERE'S an oxymoron for our times) freelancer step into Adam Nagourney or Floyd Norris' beats.
Face it: the writers for this crap are a dime a dozen. Try advertising for reporters and see how many resumes you can get from "arts writers" and reviewers - and how many for hard-news reporters.

HK_Guy Makes perfect sense. Anyone with a computer - hell, with...
1 reply by tammyfey

tammyfey 1:08 PM on Tue Oct 14 2008
@HK_Guy: Well, I agree that there are some shitty writers writing shitty shit in various fluffish sections (*cough*melissaclark*cough*), but having Mike Albo and Cintra Wilson write the shopping columns was a brilliant idea, because they rock. The Kooze, with whom I never had much of a problem--setting aside her dabbling in plagiarism--hasn't written much lately, as far as I can tell.
I do firmly believe that good writing is good writing, no matter the subject, so it's bullshit to arbitrarily deem traditional, "hard" newsreporting as legitimate and dismiss arts, style, food, travel, etc. articles as fluff.

tammyfey @ HK_Guy : Well, I agree that there are some shitty...