ESPN is making some serious cuts. A source told Deadspin that about 400 staffers are being let go. Some of those being laid off have been told they can stay until the end of the week if they want.

One anonymous ESPN staffer who got the axe had been with the company for almost a decade. That person considered the move “Completely out of the blue.” The staffer added, “I was told it was 10 percent across the board, which would be roughly 400. I was told the reason was they needed to make their profit margin and they chose to do that via layoff of staff.”

We’ve reached out to ESPN for comment, and we’ll update when we hear back.

Update (12:53 pm):
ESPN sent the following statement: ”We are implementing changes across the company to enhance our continued growth while smartly managing costs. While difficult, we are confident that it will make us more competitive, innovative and productive.”

Update (3:00 pm):
An ESPN spokesperson emailed to tell us that they hadn’t cut 400 staffers. When we asked how many were let go, “We’re not getting into particulars but it is fewer than 400″ was all we got back. So there’s that.

Yahoo! buying Tumblr is a big deal, so The New York Times went all out with its coverage today. There’s a piece about Yahoo! moving into the old Times building on 43rd Street, but the most noticeable piece is in the Business section. There Times readers can find a giant replica of a Tumblr dashboard, complete with headlines and articles about the acquisition. It’s a cool and creative way to discuss the news.

There’s also a photo in the dashboard of Marissa Mayer laughing with David Karp (Tumblr’s founder and really, really rich dude). Oh, and on A1, the Times ran a piece about how Karp dropped out of school.

He was still home schooled though! So you know, do your homework, kids.

[Image: Tumblr, duh]

The New York Daily News and The New York Post both used the same photo to illustrate the devastation left by the tornado that hit Oklahoma yesterday. Ironically, though the captured moment is extremely sad, the woman carrying the child conveys hope.

If you’re wondering how you can help the tornado victims, here’s a nice roundup.

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Fox News: ‘We Will Unequivocally Defend’ Rosen Against ‘Chilling’ DOJ Investigation (TVNewser)
Fox News executive VP of news Michael Clemente released the following statement on Monday to TVNewser with regard to James Rosen being targeted by the Department of Justice: “We are outraged to learn [Monday] that James Rosen was named a criminal co-conspirator for simply doing his job as a reporter. In fact, it is downright chilling. We will unequivocally defend his right to operate as a member of what up until now has always been a free press.” FishbowlNY According to court documents, the DOJ used Rosen’s Justice Department security badge to watch when he came and went from the State Department, acquired a search warrant for his personal emails, and monitored his phone calls with a government advisor suspected of leaking intelligence. The New Yorker / News Desk Rosen was not charged with any crime, but it is unprecedented for the government, in an official court document, to accuse a reporter of breaking the law for conducting the routine business of reporting on government secrets. TVNewser The AP made waves last week after it was revealed that the DOJ targeted the personal and professional phone lines of hundreds of journalists in an apparent attempt to determine who leaked information. Slate They’re going after him not as a witness to a crime — nor as a pressure tactic to get him to give up his source (in this case, the source has already been caught) — but rather, in the words of a Justice Department affidavit, as “an aider, an abettor, and/or a co-conspirator.” In short, as someone who might be indicted under the Espionage Act. This has never happened in this country. (Even in the Pentagon Papers case, several newspapers were served injunctions not to publish stories, but no reporter or editor was ever investigated, much less tried, as a co-conspirator.) If the prosecutors go through with their threat, the entire enterprise of national security journalism — which inherently involves uncovering secrets, to some degree — will be in jeopardy. Politico / Politico 44 White House press secretary Jay Carney wouldn’t comment Monday on the ongoing national security leaks case involving Rosen, after a weekend news report detailing the Justice Department’s surveillance of him. “I can’t comment on an ongoing criminal investigation, nor should I,” Carney said in response to one of several questions on the case, offering a similar answer each time. Read more

Jann Wenner, the owner of Rolling Stone’s publisher, Wenner Media, has a son named Gus Wenner. The former Wenner has named the latter Wenner — all 22 years of him— the new editor of RollingStone.com. Seems fair.

In a memo obtained by Jim Romenesko, Jann wrote that he was “very proud” to make the announcement.

We’re sure the staff at Rolling Stone is excited as well.

AppNewser: Bang With Friends has been removed from the Apple app store because too many guys actually thought it would work.

AllTwitter: Michael Ian Black is tweeting ads and people are mad, proving that people need more things to get angry about.

TVNewser: Fox News is going to “unequivocally defend” James Rosen against the DOJ.

Bonnier Corporation is making moves again. The publishing house has purchased nine motorcycle magazines from Source Interlink Media. In case you didn’t even know there were nine motorcycle magazines, included in the deal are Motorcyclist, Sport Rider, Dirt Rider, Motorcycle Cruiser, Hot Bike, Baggers, Super Streetbike, Street Chopper and ATV Rider. 

In addition to this purchase, Bonnier is selling some of its brands to Source Interlink. Sound + Vision, TransWorld SNOWboarding, TransWorld Motocross, TransWorld SKATEboarding, TransWorldSURF, TransWorld RIDEbmx and TransWorld Business are all now part of Source Interlink’s portfolio.

In a memo announcing the buy, Dave Freygang, Bonnier’s CEO, wrote that this would be the last major change for the company. Just last week Bonnier bought and then folded Parenting and Babytalk.

Below is the full note from Freygang.

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The David Zinczenko Men’s Fitness era has officially begun. His ideas about what the magazine should look like are available for all to see with the June issue. Here’s a quick analyzation of the new cover. The old one is pictured on the right.

• The new Men’s Fitness cover features two exclamation points, only down one from last month’s cover. Zinczenko — thank god — still believes MELTING YOUR GUT is worth yelling about.
• Men’s Fitness went with Vin Diesel for the revamped issue. Nice choice. He’s a dude’s dude and his biceps are roughly the size of two (manly) watermelons.
• We have to admit, the updated logo does look much better than the old one. Check out that fancy apostrophe! [Editor's note: You're f*ucking right I care about apostrophes.]
• Both covers mentioned SEX once, but Zinczenko wins again if only because May’s headline was the ultra creepy “Get Your Crib Sex Friendly (And Lure Her to Your Lair).” Lure her to your lair? Is this Sex Offender’s Digest or Men’s Fitness?

Mere days after The Village Voice fired Michael Musto and others, the paper has lost two more writers. The only difference is that Tejal Rao and Nick Pinto quit. Rao and Pinto both tweeted that they have resigned from the Voice, making the paper even more hollow than it already is.

Rao’s departure is particularly awkward for the Voice because when it announced the “restructuring” that ousted Musto, Robert Sietsema and Michael Feingold, it boasted of Rao’s employment there. Oops.

In related “The Village Voice is Crap” news, Musto told HuffPost Live that the mood at the Voice was “dour” in the days leading up to his firing. Wonder what the mood is now? Grim? Sullen? Depressed? Gloomy?