At New York Times, job cuts hit top echelon
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Arthur Ochs Sulzberger Jr., who worked his way up from tiny, well-fed princeling to incompetent publisher over a mediocre 31-year career at The New York Times, has been laid off by the struggling newspaper, it was learned today.
“It was a tough decision,” said Executive Editor Bill Keller. “But we could no longer justify Arthur’s exorbitant compensation in the difficult economic climate we are facing.”
Witnesses said Sulzberger had to be forcibly removed from the building by security personnel after he clung to the bust of Adolph Ochs in the lobby and shouted, “Great-grandpa, don’t let them do this to me.”
Passing Times employees averted their eyes and pretended nothing unseemly was occurring, according to one bystander.
Scott Heekin-Canedy, the newspaper’s president and general manager, said that Sulzberger had been offered a buyout, along with 120 other Times employees, during the last round of payroll-reducing initiatives, but declined the offer.
“By divesting Arthur, we can save eight reporters, a foreign-bureau chief and fourteen clerks who are doing the work of reporters,” said Heekin-Canedy. “At least until next month, when tbe next round of layoffs is announced.”
The bust of Adolph Ochs was also laid off, the Times official said, but for the sake of nostalgia was allowed to remain in its current position until the end of the year.
In a related development, Keller said the decision on whether to charge online readers definitely would be made by the spring of 2016.
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This is the beginning of many liberals in the business to be kicked out. The newspaper business should get back to reporting and investigative work and not let their personal views take over the true facts. I guarantee business can recover if news was not slanted. People are hungry for true and honest reporting.
Modern Times?
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This would be more amusing if some of us were not directly affected by the Times’ financial troubles.
No problem, Caitlin. I’m e-mailing you a revised version in which I’ve changed the name of the paper to the Daily News.
In response to another comment. See in context »Surely we are all aware of the times of today. But, they brought it on themselves. You can blame the internet but personally I blame reporters and editors slant on the news. Where’s the old world reporters? There are so few now and we are hungry for truth, not blooters.
I on board with Caitlin. The intent might be humor but this hits a little close to home. Although this has movie script written all over it.
Perhaps you guys, Nick and Caitlin, are missing the point. We in the humor community are usually averse to spelling out the point, because it tends to kill the joke but what the hell, just this once. The point is: Isn’t it annoying that in hard times the layoffs are always from the bottom, never the top? As though all the poobahs are indispensable. No dead wood up there! Why you would find that offensive is a mystery to me. What, Arthur S. is relative of yours?
In response to another comment. See in context »Except, Lewis, we’re supposed to be accurate — The Snooze seems to be doing just fine these days. I ran into a neighbor this weekend whose husband is busy shooting freelance photos for the News, while every NYT freelancer I know, writers and photographers, including me, is scrambling to find new markets.
Wow, tough crowd. Funny piece, Lewis, as usual.