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The Globe buyouts - Who's leaving?

As many readers know, the Globe has just completed a round of employee buyouts to cut expenses. Many readers - having seen or heard items in other publications or programs - have asked about reporters or columnists who are leaving the newspaper.

I originally posted this entry on Dec. 7, but I moved it to the most recent post to make it easier for readers of my column in today's newspaper, where I referred to this blog entry.

This note arrived today:
Have I heard correctly, Thomas Oliphant is no longer employed by you? That he was a redundancy brought about by an economic move? If you could steer me to an article that might inform me of this, or verify by e-mail, I would be grateful. I eagerly await your reply.

Chuck Goldberg
Westport Point, MA

The Globe, like almost all news organizations, doesn't usually report details of its own staff changes (although the paper offered quite a detailed report of Boston Herald reporters and editors who signed up for a buyout in June). That's too bad, because many readers have been curious to know what changes have been happening.

This particular round of buyouts has hit especially hard on the Globe's Living/Arts section, but other areas of the newsroom were also affected. Globe Publisher Richard Gilman, in a note to staff in September, said the goal was to reduce the paper's staff by 160 positions. A total of 31 newsroom employees have taken the buyout.

Because many readers develop bonds - positive or negative - with certain writers, I think it's important for them to know who is leaving the newspaper. Some of the connections that readers feel to the Globe is based, in part, on the work they expect from certain reporters, columnists and critics.

So what follows is a list of the reporters, columnists, writers and critics who've taken the buyout. There are others - editors, librarians, administrative assistants - who have worked behind the scenes for many years. I will include their names and titles as I get their permission. Although their contributions may not be as widely recognized by readers, their work has been no less important. A few people have already left; others have been asked to stay on for a while longer or until replacements are hired. Some of those with whom I've spoken have described this as a very personal and difficult decision.

In a future column for the newspaper, I'll explain how the Globe's editors plan to fill some of the vacancies and the reorganization prompted by the staff reductions, including the elimination of the National desk, and the departure of the section's editor, Kenneth Cooper, who agreed to terms this week on a severance package that he describes as a "post-buyout buyout."

Bill Boles, library associate
Tina Cassidy, real estate editor
Maureen Dezell, arts reporter
Richard Dyer, classical music critic
Anthony Flint, metro reporter
Wendy Fox, travel editor
Renee Graham, pop culture reporter
Bill Griffith, sports TV reporter
Ron Indrisano, horse racing reporter
Nick King, op-ed page editor
Tom Landers, photographer
Tom Long, obituary writer
Maureen McCafferty, Living/Arts administrative assistant
Steve Morse, rock music critic
Margaret Murray, Foreign desk administrative assistant
Tom Oliphant, op-ed columnist
Marvin Pave, sports reporter
Judy Rakowsky, assistant metro editor
Tatsha Robertson, national reporter
Ed Siegel, theater critic
Charles Stein, economics reporter
Carol Stocker, gardening columnist
Jack Thomas, Living/Arts reporter (and a former ombudsman)
Susan Trausch, editorial writer