McLean, Va. - Hoping to avoid the prospect of further layoffs, Gannett (NYSE: GCI), the publisher of USA Today and 84 other daily newspapers, said that it will require most of its employees to take a week off without pay during the first quarter.

Washington - Kenneth Paulson, the editor and senior vice president of news of USA Today, will leave the McLean-based newspaper early next year to become the president and COO of Washington, DC's Newseum and its primary backer, the Freedom Forum. He will succeed Peter Prichard, who will work on special projects for a year before retiring. Prichard also served as the editor of USA Today before joining the Freedom Forum and Newseum 12 years ago. Paulson was named the editor of USA Today in 2004, and previously had served as executive director of the First Amendment Center and senior vice president of the Freedom Forum.

McLean, Va. - USA Today, the national newspaper published by McLean-based Gannett (NYSE: GCI), plans to cut around 20 newsroom positions -- nearly 5% of its total -- next month, the Associated Press reported on Monday, citing an internal memo.

McLean, Va. - Plagued by dwindling ad sales, Gannett (NYSE: GCI), the publisher of USA Today and 84 other daily newspapers, said on Friday that its profits dropped by nearly a third in the most recent quarter.

McLean, Va. - Shares of Gannett (NYSE: GCI) dropped more than 7% by midday Wednesday after the publisher of USA Today and 84 other daily papers said that its second-quarter profit dropped 36%.

McLean, Va. - Citing "tough economic challenges both domestically and in the U.K.," Gannett (NYSE: GCI), the publisher of USA Today and 84 other daily newspapers, said on Monday that it plans to record as much as $3 billion in impairment charges this quarter to reflect the company's dwindling value. Gannett said that the non-cash charges reflect "challenging business conditions" related to the softening real estate market, as well as a decline in its stock price.

McLean, Va. - USA Today said on Monday that it has formed a multi-platform editorial content and marketing alliance with New York-based Fantasy Sports Ventures (FSV), the developer of an online network of fantasy sports websites. Under the deal, FSV's Fantasy Players Network will distribute USA Today's sports content through its sites, while the company's fantasy sports experts will provide information to the paper.

McLean, Va. - USA Today said on Wednesday that it has launched a new tool that will let readers use AOL's AIM instant messenger to search current and archived headlines and set up news alerts. Once logged into AIM, users can add "USA TODAY" to their buddy lists. They can then type key words into the dialogue box, and receive a return IM when the paper publishes articles containing those words. Readers also can use the service to browse and search headlines.