Washington Post Offering Buyouts Again, Layoffs Possible

WASHINGTON — The Washington Post announced it plans another round of buyouts in its newsroom and throughout the newspaper as it seeks to cut costs.

It is the fourth round of buyouts at the newspaper since 2003. About 230 employees, including some of the paper's most famous names, took the most recent buyout offered last year.

In a memo to employees, Publisher Katharine Weymouth said buyouts are needed because revenue is dropping. Increases on online advertising are not making up for losses on the print side.

The buyouts will be targeted in the paper's production and circulation departments as well the newsroom.

Weymouth said layoffs are possible if too few people volunteer for the buyouts.

Comments

[bascombe]

05:16 PM on 03/26/2009

so the two chief PAPERS OF RECORD', bastions of ' power journalism' are having a hard time. with all they knew about the goings on in WASHDC, they get no sympathy, especially after withholding damning information about boosh/cheney which could have turned the 2004 election.

not a bit of sympathy from me.

[shengirl]

11:43 AM on 03/26/2009

they've already lost some of their best journalists; the paper is shrinking down to nothing. Face it, older people are the main ones who still read paper newspapers, and they're dumping their older reporters and taking on 20-somethings, who have little appeal for the older reader. So they lose more readership.

[bascombe]

05:19 PM on 03/26/2009

these newbies have no appeal to anyone. it's not an age-related problem. the problem is related to the 'truthiness' that substitutes forn journalism.

Steven Colbert nailed the media, and similarly, Jon Stewart nailed the cable wags.

their news 'product' has no attractionm, especially since people realize they're only propaganda vehicles for the rich and the corporations.

[MESGAIN26]

11:10 AM on 03/26/2009

GOOD MAYBE WE CAN FINALLY GET REAL JORUNALIST