The strangest thing about the latest round of buyouts at the Star-Telegram is that the offer was made to everyone in the newsroom more than a week ago (last Tuesday), and this post here is the first mention of it (that I can see). Once upon a time, such a thing would have been big news. Romenesko, at least, would have reported it. Now? The Star-Telegram isn’t what it used to be, and buyouts at large newsrooms aren’t as uncommon as they once were (reading through our archives of Star-T stories is a bit depressing).
Last week, I emailed the paper’s editor, Jim Witt, asking him to confirm that buyouts had been offered and, if so, what the terms were. Without giving me any information, he pointed me to someone in HR. That person has yet to respond. A current employee and a former employee confirmed the deal for me. Two weeks pay for every year of service, maxing out at 26 weeks. If not enough people take the offer, layouts, presumably, will follow.
Good luck to everyone affected. That includes readers in Fort Worth.
