New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio tweeted Monday afternoon that Tronc’s decision to cut half of the New York Daily News’ editorial staff was “greedy.”
In May 2018, emails obtained by consulting firm BerlinRosen showed de Blasio weighing whether cutbacks at the Daily News would be good or bad for his administration.
In one email thread from 2015, Jonathan Rosen, co-founder of BerlinRosen and one of de Blasio’s political advisers, told the mayor about rumors that the Daily News would be sold.
“Some rumor that his [plan] is to cut back on the print paper and make it a web play,” Rosen wrote, according to Politico. “The Hill now only comes out in print three days a week on session days. Rest online.”
In response, de Blasio wrote back: “And that would be good for us, right? Or would that make the [New York] Post more dominant? Or, conversely, would it hasten the demise of the Post — prob [sic] just wishful thinking.”
The NYC mayor offered the “greedy” comments shortly after the Daily News announced via email that it would layoff 50% of its editorial staff.
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has since pledged unspecified state help for the struggling paper.