At least 100 employees from across the New York Times newsroom protested plans to dramatically reduce the paper’s copy editing staff by half.
Executive Editor Dean Baquet and Managing Editor Joe Kahn announced last month that they will offer buyouts to their newsroom employees. In a memo, the two explained that the “goal is to significantly shift the balance of editors to reporters” within the newsroom and that the savings would go to hiring as many as 100 new journalists.
Staff members have until July 20 to accept the buyout packages. But the plan has not gone over smoothly. The NewsGuild of New York, the union that represents many Times employees, has strongly opposed the measure.
On Thursday, staffers were seen outside the Manhattan office, holding signs that read “Copy editors save our buts” and “Without us, it’s the New Yrok Times.”
Prior to the walkout, the copy desk sent a letter to Baquet and Kahn on Wednesday. “We are your readers, and you have turned your backs on us,” the letter said, according to CNN.
These concerns were echoed by some Times reporters who sent an appeal Thursday morning.
However, the paper’s management stand by the need for cuts to continue to thrive in a turbulent industry.
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