AP Survey Confirms: Newspapers Really Do Eat Their Young

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The results of a 13-question survey of newspaper editors conducted by the Associated Press Managing Editors confirm that  recession-fueled massive editorial layoffs in the newspaper industry claim young reporters among the highest casualties.

AP Business Writer Michael Liedtke reports that most of the 95 editors who participated in the survey witnessed a 10 percent reduction of journalists in their newsrooms during the past year. Whereas buyouts and attrition  frequently affect older, higher paid reporters,when  factoring in layoffs in which unions dictate a "last in, first out" view toward reductions in employment, it's reporters in the 18 to 35 age bracket who suffer the most.

The loss of tech-savvy younger reporters further hamstrings newspapers that are struggling with developing a model that will save the industry and attract young readers who currently derive their news from the Internet, Twitter, and other high-tech outlets.