Four staffers on the Philadelphia Inquirer business news desk have applied for the buyout offer from the newspaper, according to a list provided to Talking Biz News.
They are:
- Joanne McLaughlin, a deputy business editor who has been at the paper since 1983. McLaughlin is a Penn State graduate.
- Reporter Jane M. Von Bergen, who writes about the workplace — employment, unemployment, management, unions, legal issues, labor economics, benefits, work-life balance, workforce development, trends and profiles.
- Reporter Linda Loyd, who writes about Philadelphia International Airport, the airline industry, and the ports on the Delaware River.
- Reporter Jonathan Takiff, who writes about consumer issues, promising local startups and established area businesses with new products, services and stories to share. He has been at the paper since 2015 and before that was with the Philadelphia Daily News dating back to 1971.
Philadelphia Media Network, owner of the Inquirer, the Daily News, and Philly.com, is seeking to eliminate 30 to 35 newsroom positions through buyouts.
Unionized newsroom employees who have worked at the company since October 2010 are eligible for 28 weeks of pay in severance. In addition, the company will pay lump sums of $2,500 to $15,000 to departing employees, based on seniority.
