It’s still unclear whether dismissed staffers will be replaced

On July 2, the Weekly Alibi, Albuquerque, New Mexico’s 50,000-circulation alternative newsweekly, laid off three editorial employees, effectively eliminating the paper’s news department.

The three affected staffers were Managing Editor Susan Schuurman; Associate Editor David Landry; and News Editor Dennis Domrzalski. According to Schuurman, each of the laid-off employees received two weeks severance pay.

Both Schuurman and Domrzalski say General Manager Dan Scott told them the layoffs were not linked to their performance. Schuurman says Scott intimated that they were the result of financial issues at the paper.

Schuurman, who has worked for the Weekly Alibi for seven years, worries the paper will become “basically an entertainment publication,” as the remaining editorial staffers cover music, art, literature, film, food, and events. The issues published since the layoffs have included local news coverage and editorials, some written by the laid-off staffers before their departure.

It is unclear whether the paper plans to replace the dismissed employees.

Weekly Alibi Publisher Chris Johnson did not return repeated phone calls; Scott and Landry declined to comment.

Eileen Murphy is a staff writer for the Baltimore City Paper.