This is highly unfortunate assuming it means what it looks like it means. We rip on the beat writers frequently, but Lawrence, who’s covered the Phillies for as long as I’ve been doing this, was (is) one of the best, who uses social media quite well.

The Inquirer, Daily News and Philly.com plan on laying off 46 newsroom staff, as well as additional managers, effective December 4. The first – that we’re aware of – is a bad one.

We’ll keep this updated if are any other notables are included.

UPDATE: New Flyers beat writer Jeff Neiburg– gone:

This seems to be a great strategy: Lay off the young, potentially more talented and savvy guys because unions! That’ll save the dying business!!!


The cuts overall actually seem to be the right decision (unfortunately), but it looks like they’re going to make the wrong choices.

UPDATE 2: Multiple people tell me the union protected the old-timers, hence why you’re seeing so many young folks let go. [Billy Penn has a list of non-sports people.] Jeff Blumenthal reports 17 or 29 Philly.com staffers were cut:

Gensler said 17 of 29 Philly.com editorial staff were laid off, while 17 of 60 Daily News editorial staff were affected and 12 members of the Inquirer editorial staff — estimated to be between 150 to 200 people — lost their jobs.

Question: How do you focus on being successful online if you cut mostly the young online reporters? What’s more, they’re still going to print a Daily News (which is seriously mind-boggling) despite cutting almost a third of its staff. There is a different style and tone needed for online reporting, social media use, etc. I’m not advocating keeping only young people. There are some very talented senior folks and columnists that need to stay. But cutting the young beat guys and keeping the old clock punchers who have no idea how to navigate the media landscape in 2015 is what will do in the entire company. You can’t focus on a digital future… by firing the digital staff, or, more specifically, the staffers who understand digital. Talk about a shortsighted decision.

Here’s what they should’ve done: Determined the number of people that needed to be laid off (agreed that the company was too bloated in editorial), cut the worst ones, regardless of age, and made sure to get rid of any redundancies (multiple reporters covering same beat). Then, get rid of the Daily News (it’s a waste) and put out one daily publication with the combined best efforts of the remaining staff – the Inquirer – and have it continuously updated online – Philly.com – for one unified experience. Done.

These decisions just hastened the demise of the whole company. And the union will be to blame.

UPDATE 3: More sports related staffers:

I believe there’s another one coming from a more prominent writer.

UPDATE 4: Jake Kaplan has been let go to, according to countless people. He hasn’t announced it on Twitter yet, but it appears Phil Sheridan did it for him:

https://twitter.com/SheridanScribe/status/662058545869910016

So, yes, if you’re keeping score at home, they let go of both of their Phillies beat writers– Lawrence and Kaplan.