The New York Times plans to release “more information by the end of the month” about a buyout program for editors amid a much-anticipated reduction of the editing staff.
The buyout program will also be offered to some staffers across the newsroom, according to a memo sent to the newsroom this morning by Executive Editor Dean Baquet and Managing Editor Joe Kahn.
“As we have said several times in recent months, we’re working hard to improve and streamline our editing system,” the memo reads. “Our goal is to preserve meticulous text editing while meeting the demands of digital, which requires more speed and more visual storytelling. We have also said that we expect some reductions in the size of the newsroom, including in the editing staff.”
“Despite what you may have heard in recent days, our plans for these changes are not complete,” it continues. “We expect to have more information by the end of this month about both the editing changes and a buyout program for editors and others around the newsroom, and will share the details of both of these initiatives at that time.”
The effort is being led by Kahn, who will be “overhauling the critical infrastructure that welds together” the Times’ journalism and who is also “likely to make sizable cuts in the editing ranks,” according to a recent column by New York Times Public Editor Liz Spayd.
Asked to comment on the impending changes, a New York Times spokesperson said the newsroom has been experimenting with new ways to edit and publish stories for several months.
“As we’ve discussed publicly including in the 2020 report, we must continue to streamline our multilayered editing and production systems, which are an outdated legacy of our newspaper traditions,” the statement read. “While we plan to implement changes based on what we learn, no final decisions have been made.”
Here’s Baquet and Kahn’s full memo:
Dear Colleagues,
As we have said several times in recent months, we’re working hard to improve and streamline our editing system. Our goal is to preserve meticulous text editing while meeting the demands of digital, which requires more speed and more visual storytelling. We have also said that we expect some reductions in the size of the newsroom, including in the editing staff.
Despite what you may have heard in recent days, our plans for these changes are not complete. We expect to have more information by the end of this month about both the editing changes and a buyout program for editors and others around the newsroom, and will share the details of both of these initiatives at that time.
Our newsroom has had a spectacular run during one of the most exciting news environments in the long history of The Times. Even as we prepare to adjust our staffing in some areas, we are also investing aggressively in our journalism and will remain the best edited news organization in the world. We look forward to discussing these plans with you in more detail soon.
Dean & Joe
