“At least 15,000 people have lost their jobs in the newspaper industry in 2009,” according to News Cycle‘s ongoing list of layoffs and buyouts in the U.S. newspaper business.

News Cycle has created a running tab of people who have lost their jobs at “newspapers, wire services and directly related industry companies.”

A post at the blog notes:

“In December alone, 705 buyouts and layoffs have already been announced. That is the most in any single month since July. That means 15,093 people have received their pink slips or have opted into a buyout package in the newspaper industry this year.”

Check out the site for a month-by-month listing of job losses.