Newsroom Staff Cut in Half

Newsroom staff at the Times-Picayune is being drastically cut in half, meaning hundreds of employees are going to lose their job. The reason that around 200 employees are expected to lose their jobs is because the newspaper, known for being one of the oldest newspapers in the entire United States, is focusing more on an online approach for delivering news instead of the outdated method of publishing newspapers in print. The newspaper is also cutting back on the number of days it will be published at the beginning of the fall. During the fall, the newspaper will cut back and will only be published three days per week.

Out of the 173 employees that were working for the paper, 84 employees were cut, which means drastic cuts were made. Several of the departments have been affected by the cuts, which includes the advertising department and the circulation department. With this change, New Orleans will now be the only large metro area in the United States that does not have a digital daily newspaper. The Times-Picayune is not the only newspaper to make cuts as it goes digital. In fact, in the state of Alabama, several daily newspapers ended up making cuts and laying off hundreds of employees, totaling up to about 400 employees without a job. Cuts were made for the newspapers but they will still operate their own websites and access to the sites is free for those who are viewing.

Many newspapers are struggling as print advertising is declining, especially after the recession, which caused the economy to cripple. In a world where online advertising has become increasingly popular, many newspapers are making the switch to digital as a way of keeping up with the times and the trends. Employees were warned about the changes that were set to come and many were concerned, worried about whether or not they would have a job. In fact, there was even a rally in support of the Times-Picayune, hoping that they would keep the newspaper daily and help employees to keep their job as well. Many people within the community, including a number of advertisers, wanted the company to keep its daily publication of the newspaper. There are many people who like being able to hold a newspaper in their own hands and receive that paper each day because that is what they are used to, regardless of the advances of technology and the increase in newspapers going digital instead of printing daily. The reduction of the staff members will become effective on the 30^th of September, leaving many people out of work and, understandably so, those who have been actually been cut are upset with the results of the newspaper and its cuts.

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