Daily News announces new round of buyouts. Sad day for Philly journalism.

The buyout offer comes one year after Philadelphia Media Network purchased the papers, which had gone into bankruptcy. Not clear if Inquirer is included.

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Daily News announces new round of buyouts. Sad day for Philly journalism.

POSTED: Thursday, September 8, 2011, 4:49 PM
Filed Under: Media | News

Yesterday, journalists at the Philadelphia Daily News were offered buyouts in the city's latest round of newsroom downsizing. According to a letter posted at poynter.org, “those eligible are all current full-time Guild Daily newsroom reporters, columnists, writers, editors, artists, photographers, copy editors, make-up persons and desk assistants.”

It’s not clear whether the offer applies to reporters at the Philadelphia Inquirer as well. The buyout is open until September 21.

While we sometimes have scruples with the two dailies (that’s what puts the alt in alt-weekly), these papers serve a crucial watchdog role in Philadelphia. And they have incredible reporters, from Mike Newall’s crime writing and Chris Brennan’s inside look at local politics, to the Pulitzer Prize-winning team that uncovered rampant police corruption.

"It is certainly disheartening to see buyouts of journalists," Temple professor of journalism Andrew Mendelson writes to City Paper. "The buyouts are likely foreshadowing layoffs and other restructuring. This has been happening widely in journalism but it always seems worse when it is local (and many of the potential people affected by this are Temple alums) and at a publication that is more working-class-focused in its history."

This is one more sad day for Philly journalism, coming one year after The Philadelphia Media Network purchased the papers (and philly.com, with which City Paper has a content sharing agreement), which had gone into bankruptcy.

Posted by Daniel Denvir @ 4:49 PM  Permalink | 3 comments
Comments  (3)
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 4:56 PM, 09/08/2011
    Mike Newall works the Inquirer but he's pretty great too!
    molls to the wall
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 5:10 PM, 09/08/2011
    Whoops, totally read the wrong. Thought you misidentified but you're all good!
    molls to the wall
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 5:16 PM, 09/08/2011
    That's right I am! (um, at least in this particular situation)
    daniel.denvir


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