New York Post Offers Condolences to Daily News After Layoffs: ‘We Want to Beat the News, But Not Like This’

“You want your team to win on the field, you don’t want the other team to have a heart attack,” adds New York Post columnist Keith Kelly

New York Post

The New York Post offered condolences to The Daily News this week after the tabloid’s parent company Tronc slashed editorial by 50 percent in a brutal day of layoffs.

In an editorial, the Rupert Murdoch-owned Post put aside a decades old rivalry to mourn the journalism talent the city was losing.

“Yes, the News has been The Post’s competitor for decades, and the rivalry’s often turned bitter. But rivalry has its joys, as well: Even getting beaten to a story is an inspiration to do better next time,” said the Post. “We sincerely hope the remaining staff can find a way to turn things around. We want to beat the News, but not like this.”

That sentiment was echoed by the Post’s media columnist Keith Kelly.

“None of the reporters at the Post are happy about this,” he said in a tweet sharing the editorial. “So many, including myself have worked at both papers over the years. You want your team to win on the field, you don’t want the other team to have a heart attack or suffer a crippling injury.”

On Monday, the Daily News parent company Tronc, took out the knives for the newsroom, gutting editorial and also knocking out the paper’s editor-in-chief Jim Rich. In an email to staff, the company said it would be refocusing the iconic city paper around breaking news.

“We are reducing today the size of the editorial team by approximately 50 percent and re-focusing much of our talent on breaking news — especially in areas of crime, civil justice and public responsibility,” said the memo. “We are fundamentally restructuring the Daily News.”

The paper also installed Robert York as the new editor-in-chief “effective immediately.” It seems one of his first acts leading the newsroom to was make sure news of the cuts stayed off Tuesday’s front page.

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