Read below... Mike and I believe that riffed, experienced journalists will emerge to create blogs that compete with their former employers.
Two months after Boston Herald publisher Patrick J. Purcell said he was seeking deep newsroom cuts in an effort to find $7 million in savings at the financially troubled tabloid, a massive exodus is in full swing -- one that involves some of the paper's best known and most seasoned journalists.
According to Herald managers and union officials, 30 to 35 of the 145 unionized newsroom staff members have already left or are expected to leave soon. The vast majority have applied for a buyout, and a handful were laid off. The same managers and officials also estimate that 10 to 12 of the paper's 52 nonunion newsroom employees -- editors, columnists, and staff members working under contract -- will have departed by the end of the month. A small number of employees recently left voluntarily, without being laid off or taking a buyout.
The buyout packages offered by the Herald gave its departing journalists a monetary settlement based largely on their years of service at the company. The situation remains fluid, because some staff members whose buyout applications were accepted have not formally ratified their deals.
