Indy Star eliminates 81 jobs in wake of Gannett cuts

As a result of the 700 jobs cut by parent Gannett Co. Inc., the Indianapolis Star eliminated 81 jobs Tuesday, 62 of which were filled.

The newspaper is citing shaky national advertising spending and slow economic recovery as the main causes.

Publisher Karen Crotchfelt told the Indianapolis Business Journal in an interview Wednesday this is just the start of a “major restructuring of the company’s news operations,” and the paper will compensate by moving 11 staffers to the online-only operation and reevaluating its suburban coverage.

Among others, Tuesday’s layoffs claimed seven members of the advertising staff, eight reporters and 12 copy editors.

With these cuts, Crotchfelt said the paper would emphasize its “watchdog coverage” and “strong voices,” while stories will simply be read fewer times during the editing process.

Robert Annis, the former north bureau government and crime reporter, later took to Twitter to say, “Be prepared for even more mistakes throughout the paper.”

This is the fourth round of cuts in three years by the company.

The newsroom size has decreased from 230 in 2007 to its current total of 136.

Crotchfelt said Tuesday was an “extremely painful day.”

— Adam Lukach