The job cuts sweeping federal agencies have been chaotic and difficult to track, especially given the lack of official information. But two weeks after firing hundreds of workers, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) abruptly reversed course, telling dozens they could return.
Medical writer Mike Stobbe first learned from a source that about 180 employees had been invited back. Pressing further, he secured confirmation from a second source. Meanwhile, investigative reporter Michelle R. Smith obtained a copy of the actual email sent to the fired employees, allowing AP to quote directly from it, including its striking subject line:
“Read this email immediately.”
The resulting story was a top-read exclusive, making AP the first to report on the scale of the rehiring and the language used in the outreach to employees.
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