Posted by
Corthell on Sunday, January 03, 2010 4:51:21 PM
''Officials said the local print edition will be distributed for free to "targeted audiences," including some federal government offices. At-home and office delivery will be offered at a premium price. The paper dropped its Saturday print edition last year with editors citing low circulation.'' The Washington Times slashed its staff by more than 40 percent and will eliminate its sports section and most local coverage in 2010, shifting its focus to politics, business and investigative reporting.
The 27-year-old newspaper announced the latest round of layoffs in its Thursday edition and said the last sports section would appear Friday. Among those let go was the newsroom leader, Managing Editor David Jones. Another round of cuts was made earlier in December, and the newspaper published its last Sunday edition last weekend.
The paper will publish a new weekday print edition starting Monday. It will focus on the newspaper's core strengths, including politics and cultural issues, President and Publisher Jonathan Slevin said Wednesday in a statement.
"Our market-based, forward-looking plan is both a response to the recessionary economy, continued downward financial pressures on the news industry and our transition into a 21st century multimedia enterprise," Slevin said.
The layoffs hit some high-profile beats, including journalists covering the Justice Department, Congress and foreign affairs.
The newspaper announced several management changes, though it's not clear who will oversee the newsroom operation. Christopher Dolan was appointed Wednesday as national politics editor and Brett Decker as editorial page editor. Jeffrey Birnbaum, the managing editor for digital operations, resigned that post but will continue as a columnist. http://www.idahostatesman.com/nationalsports/story/1025964.html