A business journalist says goodbye

Sam Ali, a business journalist at the Newark Star-Ledger who is leaving the paper at the end of the year, sent out the following e-mail to all of her sources on Wednesday:

“I wanted to take this moment to say goodbye and thank each and every one of you for helping me become a better journalist over the years…

“After 12 very rewarding and wonderful years at The Star-Ledger, I have decided to take a voluntary buyout along with 200 of my colleagues. My last day at the paper will be Dec. 31. But since everyone  is winding down for the holidays, I wanted to take the opportunity to say my farewells now.

“As many of you are probably aware, the newspaper industry as a whole is struggling to remake itself in light of declining circulation and print advertising revenues. It’s hard to tell when the freefall will end or how. But I’ve decided to shift gears, while my gears are still well-oiled and easy to shift.

“I hope to keep in touch with so many of you wherever I may land. I will remember my days as a reporter at the paper fondly. Thank you all for always fielding my frantic last minute calls or helping me out in a pinch when I needed some perspective or analysis of the day’s news. It has been a good run. Have a wonderful holiday and a safe and prosperous New Year.”