Wednesday, November 18, 2009

AP guild: 38 layoffs and counting **update... total rises to 57

UPDATE: The AP Guild is saying 57 AP employees were fired yesterday, according to Greg Bensinger at Bloomerg.

The AP layoff numbers are dribbling out.

The Associated Press laid off an undisclosed number of news employees Tuesday as part of the cooperative's yearlong plan to cut worldwide payroll expenses by 10 percent.

AP spokesman Paul Colford refused to specify how many jobs were eliminated Tuesday or in previous months from the news staff and other departments throughout the company. He said the not-for-profit organization intended to realize the targeted payroll savings by the end of the year. The AP still is looking to hire people in some positions, however.

Leaders of the News Media Guild, which represents about 1,300 AP employees in the U.S., said 38 Guild-covered reporters, editors and photographers had been fired as of Tuesday night. The Guild did not have a count for how many managers and workers outside the U.S. lost their jobs.

In addition to the newsroom layoffs happening Tuesday, an undisclosed number of union-represented technicians were cut earlier.


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18 comments:

Anonymous said...

Wow two threads on the AP layoffs? But it is like having a double helping of, “American Apple Pie” in the morning. Thank you, I’ll have another slice

Anonymous said...

Seems like the only way they can try to save their jobs now, is to show more hatred towards Sarah Palin then the Marxist working next to them.

Anonymous said...

AP ranks right down there with Newsweek as among the worst of the worst in news reporting. They do not practice journalism. And McClacthy is a close third!

Anonymous said...

I was hoping the 11 AP “fact checkers” were part of the layoffs?

But they are probably going to be safe as long as they produce the wanted results. Making them try even harder.

Last night on the evening news they were discussing fact checks on the book.

I don't think in the history of nightly TV news has a book hitting the shelves ever been fact checked, or even given more than a few seconds of air time.

Anonymous said...

What does the score tell you?
Palin fact checkers - 11
Obama fact checkers - 0

Seems like their mind was made up...its about persuasion not about information.

When I read a story with an AP byline, my guard automatically goes up.

Anonymous said...

Anon 5:58 Bingo! We have a winner!

Anonymous said...

Like the movie Marathon Man and the trip to the dentist, with the AP layoffs, we’re finally getting close to the heart of the propagandist matter!

Anonymous said...

And people in the industry wonder why the rest of us don't trust them and why we won't buy their papers.

Anonymous said...

Question: how many fact-checkers did the AP assign to either of Obama's 2 memoires?

Buehler?

Buheler?

Anybody?

Anonymous said...

AP didn't fact-check any of Obama's books. Would you question the Messiah?

Anonymous said...

Newsweek has lost a huge percentage of its subscriber base and is teetering on extinction. I dropped my subscription two years ago when it became obvious the magazine was being run by far left wingnuts. This is the most publicity Newsweek has gotten in a decade.

Anonymous said...

I hope Palin's book sells 5 million. It would further endorse the theory that mainstream America is giving the finger to its mainstream media.

Anonymous said...

The AP reporters are not in all that bad of a situation. They can always make a living writing fiction. They have enough experience.

Anonymous said...

No sympathy here for AP after their Palin trick. They deserve to die a slow death, along with their clients.

Anonymous said...

Algore's "a plan to solve the climate crises" book went on sale last week. AP will be temporarily assigning the upcoming 57 layoff personnel to fact check this masterpiece.......and they won't find one error.

Amazing!!

Anonymous said...

38, and now 57. The news just keeps getting better, and better!

Anonymous said...

Newsweek? Is it still being published?

Anonymous said...

Tom Curley has turned the AP into a left wing tail wagging corporate media wing of the HuffingPost. It is a journalistic void with no purpose, direction, or destination. Funny how there are over 40 VP's at AP but you never hear of any of them getting axed. TC was brought on to "save" AP from the supposedly errant ways of his predecessor (Lou Boccardi) but there's been nothing but a downhill slide since he took control. We report, you decide...is it time for Tom Curley to step down?