NY Daily News left with just four national writers after Valentines Day massacre brings more devastating layoffs
The owner of the New York Daily News fired 16 people this week – a “Valentine’s Day massacre” that leaves the paper with a skeleton staff as layoffs continue to wreak havoc across the news industry.Notorious vulture hedge fund Alden Global Capital on Thursday axed six people from the paper’s national desk – leaving just four writers to cover US and international news – along with seven print production staffers, two people in the photo department and one metro reporter, according to a source with knowledge of the matter.“Alden Global Capital — the nation’s most predatory newspaper owner — has again lived up to its reputation as the parasitic ‘destroyer of newspapers,'” the Daily News Union said in a statement, with their X account dubbing the layoffs a “Valentine’s Day Massacre.”“These layoffs, which are the direct result of the repellent corporate greed that Alden Global Capital is known for, are being done without any concern for the future of The Daily News,” the union added, noting it is losing 28% of its members through the “egregious layoffs.”After two veteran reporters recently exited, there are now only about 16 journos covering metro stories for the Daily News.The paper’s executive editor Andrew Julien told staffers the publication will focus on “what happens here,” and less on “breaking crime news coverage outside of the NYC area.”“Against the backdrop of a highly competitive media landscape, the Daily News remains committed to our mission as New York’s Hometown Newspaper to shed light on the critical issues facing our community,” Julien said in a message he shared on X.He added that metro and sports coverage would not be impacted, though those sections were previously devastated through repeated rounds of cuts and voluntary exits by staff.Julien did not immediately respond to a request for comment.The Post also sought comment from Alden Global Capital.Staff were left seething over the latest layoffs...