Politico: WSJ has laid off five more staffers

The Wall Street Journal laid off at least five more employees Thursday with the U.S. news and “speed and trending” teams affected, reports Daniel Lippman of Politico.

Lippman reports, “Most of the layoffs were in New York, including NYC reporter ERIN AILWORTH; BEN KESLING, a staff reporter (and former Marine) who covered the Midwest and focused on national defense and veterans issues, was also affected, the people said. Both had been at the paper for around a decade.

“A WSJ spokesperson declined to comment on specifics but pushed back on the assertion that it was a cost-cutting exercise, forwarding an all-staff email that editor-in-chief EMMA TUCKER sent out on Wednesday listing more than three dozen open jobs in the newsroom. Some of those listed were for positions opened through previous layoffs.

“The lack of a business rationale for recent cutbacks has vexed the WSJ newsroom, and union members are planning a lunchtime walkout today in protest. ‘There seems to be no justification for doing this other than a wish to cut costs to the bone and maximize profits without regard to the destruction of employee morale, loyalty and the quality of our report,’ said one WSJ journalist.”

Read more here.