New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Monday his administration "stands ready to help" the N.Y. Daily News after its parent announced layoffs of half its newsroom staff as it converts to digital and breaking-news coverage.
"These layoffs were made without notifying the state or asking for assistance," Cuomo said in a statement posted on Twitter. "This will undoubtedly devastate many households and hurt an important New York institution and one of our nation's journalism giants."
The Daily News' parent company, Tronc Inc. in Chicago, announced Monday it was slashing the paper's editorial staff by 50 percent, including two top editors, and refocus the operation on digital coverage.
Tronc bought the ailing Daily News last year for $1 from real estate developer Mortimer Zuckerman, who paid $36 million for the paper in 1993.
"We are fundamentally restructuring the Daily News," Tronc said in an email sent to employees.
"We are reducing today the size of the editorial team by approximately 50 percent and refocusing much of our talent on breaking news — especially in areas of crime, civil justice, and public responsibility."
Tronc named Robert York, previously editor-in-chief of the company's Morning Call newspaper in Allentown, Pennsylvania, to head the Daily News as of next Monday, July 30.
In his tweet, Cuomo noted his father, Mario Cuomo, the former three-time governor who died in 2015, aided the New York Post when it faced financial challenges in the early 1990s.
"Even though the Post represented an opposing active partisan interest, my father understood the value of a robust free press," he said. "So, do I.
"I urge Tronc to reconsider this drastic move and stand ready to work with them to avert this disaster.
"I understand that large corporations often only see profit and dividends as a bottom line.
"But in New York," Cuomo continued, "we also calculate loss of an important institution, loss of jobs, and the impact on the families affected.
"I hope Tronc does the same and recalculates its decision," the governor said. "New York State stands ready to help."
© 2026 Newsmax. All rights reserved.