After a gentle prodding by Jim Hopkins over at The Gannett Blog (not to mention his publication of an internal memo), Gannett Co. Inc., which owns the Des Moines Register, has admitted publicly that it will be cutting 1,000 jobs, including 600 layoffs, across its newspaper operations.

According to Editor and Publisher, Gannett Vice President of Corporate Communications Tara Connell confirmed the reductions, adding that decisions on staff cuts would be made at each property based on financial targets and performances.

The Gannett Blog, run by former Gannett editor and reporter Jim Hopkins from Ibiza, Spain reported Wednesday that he obtained a memo from a staffer at The Daily Times in Salisbury, Md., about the move.

Daily Times Publisher Rick Jensen wrote in a memo: “Across Gannett’s Community Publishing division, about 1,000 positions will be eliminated — about 3% of the workforce. Of the 1,000 positions, about 600 employees will be laid off.”

The Iowa Independent reported Aug. 1 that Carolyn Washburn, editor of The Des Moines Register, announced that the paper would begin reducing its editorial staff over the coming months. Details of the move, such as how many positions will be eliminated and whether they will offer buy outs or lay offs, were not yet finalized.

The company-wide cuts will affect Gannett’s 84 daily newspapers as well as nearly 900 non-daily publications.