Tronc culls 50% of NY Daily News editorial staff in favor of 'breaking news'
The New York Daily News announced layoffs to half of its editorial staff earlier this morning (July 23).
Tronc has decimated its New York Daily News team, cutting half of its editorial department / New York Daily News via Twitter
In a meeting that reportedly lasted less than a minute, the daily newspaper announced the cuts to its staff. In a corresponding letter to staff written by an unnamed 'we', Daily News owner Tronc gave further details, dismissing top editors, its entire social media team, and around 25 of its sports reporters, among others.
Here's the full email, which also announces that Robert York will be the new EIC pic.twitter.com/Ey0YykyyKi
— Max Tani (@maxwelltani) July 23, 2018
Robert York, former head editor of Allentown, PA paper Morning Call has been named the tabloid's new editor-in-chief. The Daily News' Twitter account reaction to the news:
— New York Daily News (@NYDailyNews) July 23, 2018
Former Daily News editor in chief Kevin Convey criticized Tronc in an interview with The Daily Beast, saying: "The long-term ability of the paper to construct a workable business model in the digital age has caused it to fall behind rival New York Post, a position that will only worsen with today's cuts."
He posited that the cuts could leave the staff at around 40 to cover the city's population of 8.5 million, not to mention the traffic that commutes to work from the Tri-State area, upstate and other nearby regions. "The cuts can also be viewed as a failure by Tronc," he continued, adding that the recently launched Tribune Online Content has failed to show any "serious imagination, attention, or investment" in its mobile or online efforts to date.
This has been the second string of layoffs from a Tronc-owned publication since it picked up the Daily News and other local and regional papers in a push to compete with market leader Gannett, home to the USA Today network. In March, the Chicago Tribune also announced layoffs to one-third of its staff in April.