Things seem to be going from bad to worse at the Washington Times. And the continued operation of the newspaper, which is owned by Rev. Sun Myung Moon’s Unification Church, seems to be in serious doubt.
There’s already been plenty of speculation that the paper might fold or go online-only. Sources at the Times said they fear major changes and that the Moon family feud that’s driving the paper’s turmoil could lead to the Times shutting down in the coming months — with some suggesting that Preston Moon, the reverend’s son who serves as chairman of News World Communications, the parent company of the Washington Times, came close to that decision last weekend.
Others believe the paper, with its relatively modest circulation, could pursue an online-only strategy to harness its growth in that area. They also remain pleased with the new Washington Times radio network.
And the paper itself reported this week that “an independent assessment and leadership team has been organized to address the practicalities of daily operations, and ultimately, the future sustainability of the news organization.”
Still, acting president and publisher Jonathan Slevin told Times employees that “there are no plans to shut the company down.”
We expect The Washington Times to continue to serve its readers and viewers for years to come.
Slevin did not return a phone call seeking comment today, and declined to talk to TPM when we reached him yesterday.
Several sources inside the newsroom are taking a cautious approach. They said executive editor John Solomon still hasn’t been seen in the newsroom all week — and that reporters he personally recruited haven’t heard from him. Mainly though, staff members seem uncertain about the security of their jobs. Solomon did not return a phone call seeking comment today, and declined to talk to TPM when reached yesterday.
A former Times staffer also tells TPM that the newspaper may have lost immediate access to the stream of money that helps fund the Times. According to the source, the newspaper used a stream of additional investments from the parent company that owns the Times to keep its operation going. But one of the three executives fired on Sunday — chairman Dong Moon Joo — was apparently the one responsible for securing those additonal investments. It was his main function, our source says. Without additional cash infusions from the parent company run by Preston Moon, it’s possible that the Times will have serious short-term cash problems, we’re told.
Joo couldn’t be reached at the Washington Times today — though the human resources department said they’d pass along TPM’s request for an interview. TPM has also left messages with the church’s U.S. headquarters seeking comment, which have yet to be returned. Don Meyer, a spokesman for the Washington Times and a partner at Rubin Meyer Communications, also didn’t immediately return a phone call seeking comment today.
The same former Times staffer who told TPM about the short-term cash flow problem also says that Larry Moffitt, who identifies himself as vice president of the Washington Times Foundation on his LinkedIn profile, “is gone.” His duties seem to have largely revolved around church-centric activities. A second former Times staffer (who’s also a church member) confirms that Moffitt has left. This source also tells TPM that Moffitt is close to Preston Moon. It’s unclear whether Moffitt resigned or was pushed out.
Moffitt did not immediately return a phone call seeking comment. An operator at the Washington Times said that “Larry Moffitt is no longer with the company” — before transferring TPM to the human resources department, which would not confirm any news about Moffitt, but agreed to pass on our request for comment.
As we reported earlier this week, three other top executives have already been fired — and executive editor John Solomon, is expected by many current staffers to be as good as gone. And just to complete the drama, sources have told TPM that there’s a beefed-up security presence at the newspaper — including armed guards outside management’s office on the day the executives were fired.
A former staffer now tells TPM that the third floor where management works was actually sealed off — and that the people who worked there, including Moffitt, couldn’t get in. While the details here are still sketchy, it’s possible that these people — more than a dozen in total — may no longer have jobs.
