Following closely in the footsteps of the top Newsweek writers who accepted buyouts from their magazine a couple of weeks ago, some of the most senior staffers of the New York Times are accepting retirement packages later this month. Previously announced departures include Pulitzer Prize winners John Noble Wilford and David Cay Johnston, as well as Linda Greenhouse, the newspaper's legendary Supreme Court correspondent.

Other reporters and editors who have either already made up their minds or are strongly leaning towards accepting the buyout:

Investigative reporter Philip Shenon of the Washington bureau, education reporter Karen Arenson, Jane Gross, and Lawrence K. Altman, the staff "doctor" who has been writing about medicine and evaluating the health of presidents for thirty-nine years. Altman, an M.D., also broke the story of the disease that was later named AIDS in a famous article in 1981.

The deadline for final decisions is April 22nd.

Assistant Managing Editor Craig Whitney is reportedly considering the buyout, but he did not respond to an e-mail requesting comment. Nakana'ela Scott Nathaniel, a web producer for the editorial page who videotaped the second aircraft to crash into the World Trade Center, was one of the youngest staff members to accept the buyout. Nathaniel, who is 35, had spent most of the last five years traveling with Nick Kristof and filing video reports to accompany Kristof's columns. Nathaniel also did several stints in the Baghdad bureau after the American invasion of Iraq. His wife, Meredith Artley, is the executive editor of the Los Angeles Times website.

Sports writer Murray Chass has also reportedly accepted a buyout, but he could not be reached for comment. Chass, Greenhouse and Altman each had their first bylines in the Times in 1969.

Union members could leave the paper with up to two years of the base salary in their job category, depending on their length of service. Managers were only given a maximum of one year's salary as an incentive to accept early retirement. The buyouts were offered to ease the pain of reducing the newsroom staff by 100 positions to cut costs, as the newspaper continues to suffer declines in advertising and circulation revenue. The Washington Post and the Los Angeles Times—like nearly all American newspapers—are also shrinking.

Ruth Strauss, the secretary in Cultural News for several decades and the go-to-woman for anyone seeking house seats for a Broadway show, retired last month. Veteran Business Day secretary Judith Spindler is also retiring. Others leaving include reporter Gary Rivlin, assistant culture editor Wendy Sclight and Steve Urso.

Dith Pran, the Times photographer who had been Syd Schanberg's partner in Cambodia thirty years ago, was allowed to take the buyout, just before he succumbed to cancer two weeks ago.

UPDATE: The day after this item was posted, Times Assistant Managing Editor Craig Whitney responded to Radar's query and said that he would not be taking the buyout.