Can newspapers afford editors?

How many people have to read a story before it goes in the paper? Now that pending layoffs at the New York Times and Los Angeles Times have made newsroom cutbacks all but unanimous, some managers eager to maximize the feet on the street at their newspapers are wondering if they really need all those editors. Alan Mutter asks the question on his blog (included is a poll "What is the minimum number of people necessary to vet a newspaper story?"). The comments pick up on the debate.