—Gannett swings the big ax, slashing 1,400 jobs this week: Jim Hopkins, the former Gannett (NYSE: GCI) chronicling the company’s travails, has had a busy two days tallying the 1,400 jobs that are now gone as of this week at the company’s ailing newspapers. The job cuts are part of the 3,000 staffers at local papers Gannett said would have to go. Gannet made the announcement at the end of October. The latest casualties are at The Nashville Tennessean (92 of 1,000 jobs cut); Poughkeepsie Journal in New York (59 of 250), and South Carolina’s Greenville News (36 of 500).

—Star Tribune wants $20 million in union givebacks (via Romenesko): The Minneapolis/St. Paul daily is asking its union to help identify $10 million cost savings by early next month. The paper’s execs hope the additional savings will convince lenders to forgive some of nearly $400 million in long-term debt. The $10 million being sought is on top of $20 million the Star Trib has separately asked from contract workers. Chief Executive Chris Harte says that if the union doesn’t comply, the paper may have to file for bankruptcy protection.

—Canwest relaunches 10 newspaper sites: After scaling back on print delivery, Canada’s largest newspaper publisher is unveiling 10 redesigned newspaper sites. Aside from making simplifying the newspaper sites’ navigation, Canwest also is trying put more emphasis on hyperlocal content, including billing its classifieds as “hyperlocal” as well.