The Washington Post has been able to attain just half of the job reductions it needs to secure before the end of the year, the newspaper’s leadership said this week.
In a note to staff shared with multiple outlets on Tuesday, Post interim CEO Patty Stonesifer said the company had accepted 120 voluntary buyouts as it seeks to cut some 240 jobs across its newsroom.
The Post plans to resort to involuntary layoffs if it does not reach the 240 job threshold by the middle of next month, Stonesifer said.
“These layoffs would offer significantly less generous benefits than the voluntary package and will be consistent with prior layoff packages at The Post,” she wrote.
The Post is just the latest in a slew of media organizations that have announced plans to cut back staff and implement other cost-saving measures amid widespread economic hardship in the media business.
Last year, CNN and NPR slashed hundreds of jobs while the Post most recently laid off nearly two dozen newsroom staffers in the spring, saying at the time the move was “necessary for us to stay competitive, and the economic climate has guided our decision to act now.”