Amid layoff season, Indian-American Pulitzer-winning editor steps down so his staff can keep their jobs

In the face of looming layoffs, a leading newspaper's Pulitzer Prize-winning Indian-American editor has decided to step down from his position. The editor has made this choice in the hopes that other employees would be able to keep their jobs if his compensation is cut from the company's budget. The Detroit Free Press is owned by the media corporation Gannett, and Peter Bhatia is its editor. After two losses in a row, the companyis cutting staff.

At earlier this week's employee gathering, Peter Bhatia made his departure from the company known.

“We’re in a difficult period economically. The company is going through a layoff process and I essentially made the decision to lay myself off in the interest of saving other jobs," Peter Bhatia said.

“I do have other opportunities that will probably come to work out at some point," Peter Bhatia added.

“But if by getting my salary out of the budget it saves some jobs of people on the staff, I think that’s the right thing for the Free Press,” he said.

Peter Bhatia will exitthe newspaper early in the next year as a result. The number of paid subscribers to the Free Press website increased substantially during his direction. The father of Peter Bhatia is a native of Lucknow who attended Stanford University to study history and communication before working as an editor and reporter for a number of websites in the US.

In addition, he oversaw The Oregonian from 2010 to 2014, making history as the first person of South Asian heritage to lead a renowned American newspaper.

(With inputs from agencies)

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