John Hill, who has spent almost 30 years as a reporter at The Providence Journal, is taking the newspaper’s latest buyout offer, although he plans to continue in his role as president of The Providence Newspaper Guild. Three other newsroom staffers are also taking the buout.
Hill told RIPR he’ll miss the work, but that it’s the right time for him to make a change.
“My plan was to leave next year anyway, but the bigger payout on this offer (and a daughter graduated from college) made the financial numbers work for me this time,” Hill wrote in a note to colleagues. “While I’m leaving The Journal, I am not leaving The Guild. The union’s rules allow someone who retires to maintain their membership for a year, if they are willing to continue to pay dues, which I am going to do. This will allow me, if the executive board wants me to, to continue in office and work on some unresolved issues that I would like to see finished up before I fully step down.”
In a note to readers, ProJo Executive Editor Alan Rosenberg said three other newsroom staffers are also taking the buyout: Christine Dunn, who has doggedly reported on the real estate beat; sportswriter John Gillooly, well known for his deep knowledge of scholastic sports; and night editor Gary Zebrun.
“Each has done excellent work and has been a valued contributor to our efforts for many years. To put it simply, we will miss them,” Rosenberg said. “As they leave, I am evaluating our newsroom’s coverage to ensure that we continue to provide the most important stories for our readers.”
The ProJo recently hired three new reporters, although the newspaper’s staffing has been cut through buyouts and layoffs over the last 20 or so years.
Hill came to the Journal from the Orlando Sentinel in 1989. He’s covered a broad range of beats and worked in almost every ProJo bureau, back when the newspaper had a network of bureaus in Rhode Island and nearby Massachusetts.
Hill succeeded Bob Jagolinzer as president of the Guild, the largest union at the ProJo.
The Guild once represented hundreds of workers at the Journal, but the membership has declined sharply with ongoing job cuts.
This story has been updated.
