From the InBox: Newsroom Job Losses vs. Total Newspaper Job Losses

Jen: A reader writes in about yesterday's ASNE announcement regarding the number of newsroom job hits in 2008. The latest ANSE census found that daily newspapers shed 5,900 newsroom jobs in 2008, an 11% decline and the biggest drop since ASNE started the survey in 1978.

The numbers only confirmed the headlines. But the reader was curious as to how that decline stacked up against the industry at large.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics tracks employment data for the newspaper industry. The BLS includes all newspapers -- not just dailies. ASNE surveys dailies and said that 66% of 1,405 daily newspapers responded. So while this is not an apple-to-apple comparison, it's still interesting to note: The total number of newspaper industry jobs lost in 2008 fell 6% to 325,900 compared to 2007.