The New York Times has an in-depth look today at the state of the Washington Times, and it introduces a new wrinkle in the narrative of how three top executives lost their jobs.
The firings of the Washington Times‘ publisher and two other executives last month set off a period of tumult that has appeared to cool down this week.
Here’s a key excerpt from the NYT story today, suggesting that the executives were looking into new ways to solve the paper’s financial problems:
According to sources inside the newsroom, the paper’s executives and Mr. Solomon, who had been given three years to turn the paper around, were looking for other sources of financing, which may have contributed to their firing.
“Were they looking for other money? Yes,” said a Washington Times employee, who spoke on the condition of anonymity. “They had plans to start other initiatives and they were going to get the money.”
The business issues are inherently intertwined with the politics of the Unification Church, which subsidizes the paper. A newsroom source previously told TPM that a feud in the ruling family of the church was behind the turmoil. An internal church memo we obtained says that Preston Moon defied the wishes of his father, church leader Rev. Sun Myung Moon, when he ordered the firings.
Citing a longtime newsroom employee, the NYT also reports that the Unification’s Church’s subsidy to the paper has been cut off.
