Minnesota Public Radio | MinnPost
Journalists with 586 years combined experience are taking voluntary buyouts from The (Minneapolis) Star Tribune, Bob Collins reported Tuesday for Minnesota Public Radio.
The buyouts were made possible by a union contract which gave employees the right to claim a week of severance for every year worked if the the newspaper is sold. Many of those who took it were nearing retirement age.
Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor closed on the purchase of the newspaper last week.
Joe Kimball reported for MinnPost that most will leave by July 18. The newsroom has about 250 people left.
In 2007, financial problems led the paper to give buyouts to 50 newsroom workers; the newsroom count then was 383.
Collins links to an April story, in which Taylor told MinnPost about his plans for the paper to be less liberal.
I’ve seen some of the new reporters and I think there is a little bit more of a balance. But I think traditionally, some of the reporters that have been hired and they have been there for a long time, I don’t know how you are ever going to change those people and what they write, but through time itself, some of those people will retire.
Kimball includes the press release from the Newspaper Guild. Here’s what the Guild said on Facebook.
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