The Herald-Sun in Durham has laid off several employees, the second round of job cuts since 2011.
A source knowledgeable about the situation told the INDY that four to six people may have lost their jobs, but the number could not be confirmed. The staff box online lists 18 people in the newsroom, not including Editor Bob Ashley. If these figures are correct, the editorial department could have as few as a dozen employees.
Ashley referred questions regarding the layoffs to publisher Rick Bean. The The Herald-Sun is owned by Paxton Media Group, headquartered in Paducah, Ky. Paxton officials also referred questions to Bean, who did not return calls to the INDY.
Two years ago, The Herald-Sun’s copy and design desk moved to the staff of the Owensboro Messenger-Inquirer, another Paxton paper, leaving fewer than 20 people in the Herald-Sun’s newsroom, the INDY reported.
Recently the paper went behind a paywall online, offering a limited number of articles for free and then charging for subsequent ones. Print subscribers will have full access.
The paper’s 100,000-square-foot building on Pickett Road is also for sale. In a Herald-Sun story published May 12, Bean said the publication would move to another Durham location.
