Critical Mass, the NBCC blog, is reporting that the Atlanta Journal-Constitution performed a staff reorganization last week, resulting in the elimination of the book review desk, although the editor, Teresa Weaver, is apparently being invited to apply for other positions at the paper. According to the blog item, and to other sources who have contacted us, the Journal-Constitution editors have expressed some intention to continue offering book reviews, but the actual plan remains unclear at present.

As NBCC president John Freeman points out, the newspaper reaches 2.3 million readers each week, in one of the nation’s most highly literate cities, so even the loss of a regionally engaged literary perspective would be of great significance.