At least 40% of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette newsroom is expected to lose their jobs Monday as the newspaper’s new nonprofit owners assume control, the Newspaper Guild of Pittsburgh said Friday.
The Guild anticipates the newsroom workforce could ultimately be cut in half once all employees receive formal notice. The reductions will significantly shrink coverage of local news, high school and college sports, arts, editing, and production at Pittsburgh’s oldest newspaper.
The Venetoulis Institute for Local Journalism — the nonprofit publisher of the Baltimore Banner — is acquiring the Post-Gazette from Block Communications Inc. The sale was announced April 14. Institute founder Stewart Bainum previously indicated the nonprofit would likely reduce the roughly 100-person newsroom due to industry pressures.
Staff were required to reapply for their positions and undergo 20-minute interviews with Institute leaders. Job offers went to about half the newsroom starting Wednesday, while others began receiving non-retention notices Thursday.