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This urgent "never mind" message is from the "chief people officer" (aka human resources) at Gannett Co., Inc. in McLean, Va., publisher of the Detroit Free Press and 18 other large daily newspapers, including USA Today.

It retracts a chilling surprise emailed earlier Tuesday afternoon. At least one recipient forwarded it to semi-retired media blogger Jim Romenesko, who tweets it to 126,000 followers Wednesday.

Employees getting the scary original reportedly include "much of the Free Press newsroom," according to a tweet from Bill Shea, media beat reporter at Crain's Detroit. "How horrifying in the wake of all the job cuts," he adds.  

Romenesko tweets this response: 

Seventeen news staffers recently left the paper via buyouts and layoffs. They include senior content strategist Bill Emkow and digital tem members Amy Etmans Huschka, Michele Siuda Jacques and Jamie Smith.

Budget tightening forced the departures, as Dustin Walsh of Crain's reported in mid-November:

The Freep is seeking to cut 13 percent of its editorial staff, including four assistant editors, three reporters, three copy editors, four web staff, two photographers and one page designer, sources confirmed.

Fifteen news personnel left The Detroit News in later December, Shea wrote at Crain's.

News of the new Gannett email scare prompts sharp shots and gallows humor at Romenesko's Twitter timeline. Samples:

  • Sorry, but that was meant to be sent next week. Carry on. 
  • No apology, though. Plus, which e-mail does one believe?
  • Pay no attention to those security guys headed toward your desk.
  • This might be a good time to tidy up your work area.
  • And update your resume.
  • The sad thing is, it's probably not untrue, ultimately.
  • Dry run, just practicing.
  • May be a good time for HR to also discuss if this kind of communication is appropriate to be sent out via batch email.
  • Also, please add PinkSlip@Gannett.com to your whitelist to ensure you don't miss any future emails.
  • Can employees sue if they had a heart attack due to this?
  • Not even an apology?

Related coverage:

Detroit News and Free Press Cut Newsroom Staffs to the Bone, Dec. 17