Nebraska newspaper employees told jobs are safe

Employees of the Grand Island Independent, one of 14 daily newspapers purchased by GateHouse Media today, have been told their jobs are secure, according to an article posted tonight on the newspaper's website:
The Independent staff were as shocked as those at the Independence Examiner, where even the publisher was kept in the dark about the sale:

The news came as a surprise to the newspaper, said Independent Publisher Don Smith.

"It came totally out of the blue," Smith said. "But it was a business decision made for good reasons."

The Independent has about 105 employees, and Smith said he's been told all should consider their jobs secure.

Not much is known about the specifics of the sale because it came about so quickly, he said.

"We'll be open with our readers and the public on the details as they unfold," he said.