Denver Post newsroom cuts

An article in today's Denver Post reports that the newspaper will be eliminating about 8 percent of its newsroom staff or roughly 25 of its 300 positions.

There are no layoff plans, rather early retirement and voluntary-separation packages are being offered, with payouts determined by the length of employment.

As it has been with many newsrooms, the rising cost of newsprint and declining readership have caused papers to reexamine their resources and look for ways to cut costs. According to Post editor Gregory L. Moore, "The failure of the economy to bounce back for newspapers now forces us to make some of the same choices."

Tony Mulligan, the administrative officer of the Denver Newspaper Guild, which represents many of the Post newsroom's employees, reacted to the news by saying "I don't believe that the newsroom is overstaffed. It concerns me to see job reductions. Everybody is already busy."

However, Mulligan added that the severance packages being offered either "meet or exceed union requirements" and as such, will not be disputed.

* Source: Romenesko