Miami New Times Lays Off Restaurant Critic

Sad news for the restaurant critic job market: Miami New Times has laid off restauarant critic Lee Klein as part of a media revamp.

With the paper focusing on digital coverage, the food team has been reorganized, editor Chuck Strouse wrote in a post this morning. "Gone is food critic Lee Klein, who has long been the dean of South Florida restaurant reviewers. He's a genius, and I will miss him," Strouse wrote.

Instead, Laine Doss is heading up the paper's online food coverage, and restaurant criticism will be shared between writers "with years of food expereince." Names? Emily Codik, Lesley Elliott, Zach Fagenson, and Bill Citara (a former SF Chronicle reviewer).

Strouse sent a statement over to Eater, where he basically admits that Doss's jump to full-time pushed Klein out. "Given the extraordinary growth of our web traffic, we had to make a tough call — and ended up hiring a staffer to oversee digital food coverage. (Eater certainly should get this.) Lee was laid off as a result. This is the kind of choice that is confronting every media outlet in the nation," Strouse wrote. Klein, however, will reportedly be welcome to contribute to the paper as a freelancer. Scary times, folks.