Non-newsroom cuts

A commenter asks about non-newsroom layoff numbers. I'm not going to make an effort to get those. Too much already on my plate. But if
others want to post comments here with information, go ahead.

Cuts at DMN start today

But newsroom is tomorrow. Moroney sent this out this morning:

Previously Announced Reduction in Force

 

DALLAS (DATE, 2009) – As part of cost-cutting measures previously announced by parent company A. H. Belo Corporation, The Dallas Morning News is beginning today a company-wide reduction in force. The majority of the actions will take place today and tomorrow. As A. H. Belo stated in January, this initiative will affect approximately 500 jobs across all of its properties, but numbers for the individual companies were not disclosed.

 

"Our company continues to face unprecedented economic challenges during this prolonged recession, making this staff reduction a very difficult but necessary decision," said Jim Moroney, publisher and CEO of The Dallas Morning News. "As The Dallas Morning News evolves to meet these challenges, we remain committed to serving our readers and community in important and unique ways."

 

A reader has set up a Twitter group

The reader writes:

I set up a group twitter account for us. The only prblem is that the procedure for being able to post on it is slightly awkward. People need to:

1. Go to twitter.com/dmncuts and follow it.
2. LOGIN to twitter as dmncuts with the password dmncuts2009 and follow themselves.
3. Then, as the day-of progresses, they can tweet to that group by sending a text message or update to their twitter in this format: D dmncuts blah blah blah.

Yeah, it's not perfect, but the autofollow site I found only checks for new people every 6 hours. :-/

This way, we can update from our phones, etc., while things are happening.

We can document on a moment-by-moment basis. Cause that's what we do.

We're journalists.

If you know of a better way to do this, I think it's a worthwhile idea. It's less conspicuous than having the blog up at work.

The Twitter group is not affiliated with this blog and I neither endorse nor not. I think that our bosses won't mind us checking in here every so often on D Day. They'll have more their minds than this. But let a thousand flowers bloom and all that.

Morituri te salutamus

From what we're getting here, it looks like Tuesday will be D-Day. But I'm taking no chances. If today's the day, here's how I'm handling it:

1) If you are laid off and want to let people know, give contact information and or give a parting message, send me an e-mail and I'll get it posted.

2) Do not post a name in the comments as having been laid off unless it is you. This blog will have no collateral damage if I can help it.

3) Those of you keeping lists, if you want to share, here's what I want: Department breakdowns and category breakdowns. That is, how many from local, sports, UD, etc. How many reporters, line editors, copy editors, etc.

If today is not the day, we reset the clock for tomorrow. If you know that the cuts have started and you don't see it posted here yet, the comments are on.

D Day will be hard on us all. Post your feelings in the comments, but please follow the rules: No personal attacks. Period. Not on peers, not on bosses. If you want to say that any particular decision or situation at the DMN since it opened was a turd in the company punchbowl, that's fine. If you say that any particular person is a turd in the punchbowl, I'll kill that comment.