ABC News plans to ax 300 to 400 positions at the news division by asking employees to participate in a buyout of their services, reports TV Newser. Both union and nonunion jobs will be affected. To
begin, the network is offering a voluntary separation package to all full-time, non-union employees. In a memo to employees, ABC News president David Westin said ABC News will "dramatically expand our
use of digital journalists."
"Dramatically expand our use of digital journalists..." Two points: 1) Why don't they give the journalists they're firing laptops and call them digital journalists? 2) Could it be they don't actually intend to pay these "new" journalists anything? Nah - that would be like the Denver Post running an ad for "Your Voice" writers (who must submit samples and commit to a publishing schedule) yet DON'T GET PAID for their efforts. Hmmm, could this be the folks MOST OPPOSED to free content trying to get their hands on some? Nah...