Five more employees have been laid off at the Daily Hampshire Gazette, based in Northampton, Massachusetts. The job reductions are again being blamed on the pandemic.
One of the employees laid off from the Gazette was editor-in-chief Brooke Hauser. She had held the job since 2018, and was the newspaper's first female editor in its more than 200-year history.
Hauser said she's been wondering for a while about the direction the newspaper's owners have had in mind.
"One question I've been asking for a long time here, is what's the company's vision?" Hauser said. "What's the plan for the future? Maybe they have one that I have not been as privy to.... I'm not really sure what their plan or vision is."
Joan Livingston, who has been editor of the Greenfield Recorder — the Gazette's sister publication — will be "editor-in-chief for the Pioneer Valley," according to publisher Michael Moses.
Moses said in a message to employees there will also be some restructuring taking place, mostly affecting the Gazette newsroom.
"We are moving forward with a restructuring of our workforce so we can put our company on a stronger path for the future," Moses said. "We have been working around the clock to determine a streamlined organization, and while the loss of valuable employees is never without regret, the new organizational structure is shaping up to be strong. The road map will require a change in how we work, and what we need to do that work. We will need to be nimble, responsive, and innovative."
Also departing is the Gazette's sports editor Mike Moran, who tweeted Tuesday to say he took a voluntary buyout after 18 years at the paper, the last 10 in his current position.
This is at least the third round of layoffs by Newspapers of New England since the pandemic began.
In late March, 13 workers lost jobs in the immediate wake of the pandemic, which officials at the company said at the time were caused by a downturn in advertising revenue.
In July, nine full-time and 20 part-time employees were let go when the printing press at the Gazette's office in Northampton was closed, and paper production was outsourced.
Shortly after, the entire building located near the city's downtown was put on the market.
It is currently listed for sale at $4.2 million, and company officials have said they plan to keep the paper in Northampton.
Prior to the pandemic, in December 2019, Newspapers of New England closed the offices of the Athol Daily News, with seven people losing jobs across the company.
