Newspapers need editorial quality to meet customers' legitimate expectations, and papers can't get around needing enough people in every department to do the work. If you reduce the number of copy editors, for example, from 20 to 15, you will see a direct drop in quality, unless you also reduce the number of stories and pages they handle, which means less news. The bad newspapers in America, and there are many, don't see a problem with the layoff approach. Times get tough, and they cut staff and reduce the news space. That works for a while, until they go out of business.
Stock analysts contend stockholders expect improved profits no matter what.
The corporation apparently sought a short-term fix. Harris urged a longer-term view. He made his point by quitting. Profit pressures increase His resignation should not have been a surprise at Knight Ridder, as they claimed. It certainly was not the first embarrassment for the corporation.