• by Erik Sass , May 3, 2010

The Rev. Sun Myung Moon's Unification Church is looking to sell The Washington Times after almost three decades of owning the newspaper, which was founded in 1982.

A member of the Times' board of directors was cited by The Washington Post as saying management was looking for a buyer or strategic partner for the newspaper, which has been repositioned amid layoffs and high-level executive departures over the last half year.

Last week brought the departure of publisher Jonathan Slevin, who said the board was "intrusive." His exit was just the latest in a series of staff cuts and shakeups.

In December 2009, the publishers warned that they intended to cut about 40% of the total newsroom staff of 170, or about 65 positions. These layoffs are now largely complete. The cuts fell especially hard on the sports and metro sections, where virtually every employee was laid off.

The layoffs also claimed managing editor David Jones. Digital managing editor Jeffrey Birnbaum resigned, although he said he would continue to write columns. Executive editor John Solomon also resigned.

According to management, the newspaper was moving toward more multimedia distribution, pushing forward a reorientation that began with the demise of its Saturday edition in 2008.

The more recent round of changes brought the end of the Sunday edition, as well as some stand-alone sections. Now, the paper focuses more narrowly on national politics, international relations the economy and culture.

In 2008, another conservative paper, The New York Sun, folded after six years of publication. The publisher cited financial difficulties resulting from the credit crunch, which began in September 2008.