Via Houstoned (and Banjo), we learn some of what went on at 801 Texas Avenue today:
Among the familiar names taking the buyouts are Louis B. Parks of the features section and Salatheia Bryant and Melanie Markley of the news side.
Among those leaving in a less voluntary manner are Steve McVicker, the former Houston Press reporter who’s been bird-dogging the HPD crime-lab scandal, and Thomas Korosec, the former Dallas Observer reporter who has been the Chron’s Dallas bureau.
Melanie Markley did the fine reporting on Mayor White’s shakedown of the Center Serving Persons with Mental Retardation, and as Rich Connelly notes, Steve McVicker was doggedly keeping after the crime lab story. Did the Chronicle just give away a Pulitzer opportunity?
What a disappointing day. It’s hard to comprehend that this is more valuable than Markley’s or McVicker’s contributions to the Chronicle; all we can do is shake our heads as upper management continues to make poor editorial decisions. And in this case, those decisions have affected the livelihoods of hard-working folks. We wish them the best in finding new opportunities.
UPDATE (10-30-2007): Banjo Jones posts an update with more names:
In addition to the names we posted yesterday, the additional buyouts/layoffs include:
Andrew Guy (features), Judy Minshew (editorial), Valarie White (business secretary), Bruce Westbrook (features) and Patty Reinert in Washington, we’re told.
Westbrook, we’re further informed, was laid off (as opposed to taking a voluntary buyout) and will sue for age discrimination [UPDATE (10-31-2007): Banjo Jones posts that Westbrook informs him this is not true]; we’re not sure if the other people named today were involuntary or not.
