San Jose Mercury News to ax 15% of newsroom

[Newsjock]

http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/12728994.htm

The Mercury News announced plans Friday to cut about 15 percent of its news staff to combat an industry-wide slump in revenue.

The paper will offer buyouts to all union employees in its newsroom, including those who write for the editorial pages and two affiliated publications, Nuevo Mundo and Viet Mercury. The goal is to reduce the current editorial staff by 52 full-time positions, from 332 to 280.

... If not enough employees accept the buyout, the company will lay off employees.

[upi402]

1. They broke some stories, didn't they!

Too bad they're having trouble. I first noted them when they covered Freeway Ricky Jones story.

[Oeditpus Rex]

2. The whole industry's having trouble

...or so it says.

Witness what's happening in New York and Philadelphia.

Lower revenues? Sure, but there's not a newspaper of any size in the U.S. that isn't making money — insane amounts of it, generally.

They just want to keep profit margins around 20 percent.