Washington Times Slashes Newsroom Staff, Wipes Out Photo Department
WASHINGTON, DC (December 31, 2009) – When owners of The Washington Times cut their 170-member newsroom staff yesterday, the entire photography department – with the exception of photography director Joseph M. Eddins Jr. and imaging tech Melissa Cannarozzi – lost their jobs.
"They called a meeting for 3:30 in the afternoon and told all of us in the newsroom to be there," Times photojournalist Mary Calvert said today. "Jonathan Slevin [Times president and publisher] told everyone what was going on, and then a human resources person answered some questions, then we were told to pick up our envelopes."
Calvert said the photographers picked up their papers and then it became clear how extensive the cuts were going to be. "All of us stood around in photo with our envelopes and realized, 'I'm out,' 'I'm out,' 'I'm out' ... and then we started moving our stuff out."
Calvert said members of the photography department who were cut along with her yesterday included Michael Connor, Katie Falkenberg, Rod Lamkey Jr., Peter Lockley, Astrid Reiken, Barbara L. Salisbury, Allison Shelley, Joseph Silverman, and the Times' new assistant managing editor of photography, Janet Reeves, who just joined the staff in September.
According to news reports, the severance package employees received from the Times was one based on years of service and met the requirements of layoff benefits that are required by law.
"The important thing for me today is that during this year I've been able to do stories on things that really matter," Calvert said today, referring to work she's done recently in the Congo, "and I still really want to do that stuff and I will."
It had been less than a month since the Times informed employees with a letter giving them 60 days notice that at least 40 percent of the workers would be laid off. "Since then we've just been in a holding pattern, waiting," Calvert said. She had been at the Times more than 11 years, and in 2007 Calvert was NPPA's Best Of Photojournalism Photojournalist of the Year (Small Markets).
Calvert's husband, Eddins, has been on the picture desk for several months now, and she said he's not exactly sure what his future role will be at the newspaper. "There are some very good people left at the Times, and he'll have plenty of friends to work with," she said this morning.
Yesterday's staff slashing included the newspaper's top editor for print, David Jones, and scores of reporters and editors along with the photographers. The Times' sports and metro sections no longer exist after tomorrow's newspaper comes out, and the staff for those sections were eliminated completely.
Various reports have said the Times will concentrate on national and international news stories in the future, politics, and investigative reporting, without focusing on local coverage or features or sports. Owners have also indicated that they intend to become more of a multimedia or Web-based news organization with a minimum print presence to reduce costs.
The 27-year-old daily was founded by the Unification Church and Rev. Sun Myung Moon in 1982. The conservative voice of the owners has lost money since its inception, but the real downfall began recently with the scrapping of the Saturday paper and the departure of three key editorial executives in November.
NPPA Marketplace
- Join the NPPA
- NPPA members receive a wide range of benefits, from educational opportunities to mentoring, exclusive discounts, insurance options, business tips, and much more.