WASHINGTON, DC (December 3, 2009) – Severe staff cuts are reportedly taking place today at The Washington Times newspaper, a media outlet that's been rocked with rumors and anxiety for several weeks now since the paper's top editors quit or were dispatched by its owners, the Unification Church.
Yesterday the staff learned in a letter required by federal law that the company plans to lay off at least 40 percent of its staff. The layoffs could exceed 40 percent. The most recent staff head count at the Times reported 370 people.
The Times will also reportedly shift their business model to mostly free distribution.
According to the company, the paper will concentrate on politics, national security, and investigative reporting. Not mentioned as part of its coverage was local news, sports, and features, departments that rumors indicate may be eliminated completely.
Pulitzer Prize-winning photography director and NPPA member Janet Reeves just recently joined the Times as their assistant managing editor for photography. Reeves was named to the post in September, after her former newspaper – The Rocky Mountain News – was shut down in February by owners E.W. Scripps. Reeves, an NPPA member since 1984, led the Rocky's photography staff to three Pulitzers during her tenure.
According to The Washington Post today, the Times plans to chase a national audience digitally while maintaining only the slightest print presence inside the Beltway, and the shift was instigated by both the economic downturn and internal Unification Church politics.
Launched in 1982 by Rev. Sun Myung Moon, head of the Unification Church, the Times has reportedly lost $2 billion since its launch. Moon has now reportedly passed the responsibility for the newspaper on to his son, Preston, who "wants to run it like a business," Editor & Publisher reported.
In an interview with the Post, Washington Times president Jonathan Slevin said the new plan calls for a "de-emphasized" presence of the paper on newsstands, free distribution "in select areas," and discouraging subscriptions by charging a "premium" price.
Staffers have been waiting for the bad news to arrive every since three top executives and editor John Solomon resigned in November.
