LA Times Cuts 74 Editorial Staffers Amid Decline in Ad Revenue
The Los Angeles Times has laid off a total of 74 editorial staffers, amounting to about 13 percent of newsroom positions, IndieWire has confirmed.
Staffers were informed on Wednesday in a memo from executive editor Kevin Merida, who said the decision was “made more urgent by the economic climate and the unique challenges of our industry.”
A representative for the Times told IndieWire that this will leave about 500 staffers still in the newsroom. The layoffs come at a difficult time for print and news media, with cuts already this year at news organizations including Fox News, CNN, Vox, The Washington Post, and NPR, among others. BuzzFeed News and MTV News also shut down this year.
The full statement from the LA Times is below:
“We have made the difficult decision to undergo a reorganization and eliminate certain positions within the company. The hardest decisions to make are those that impact our employees, and we are not taking this action lightly.
“The economics of operating a media business have grown increasingly challenging since the onset of the pandemic, and this is especially true for news organizations. Over the past three years, we have continued to invest while working to meet budget and revenue challenges. At the same time, we have focused our resources in areas that strengthen our ability to compete, grow revenue, reach new audiences and produce vital journalism in the public interest. We are positioning ourselves to navigate economic headwinds through this year and beyond. Our focus remains on our long-term plans to transform the Los Angeles Times into a self-sustaining institution that will serve the community for generations to come.
“We take the trust that the public places in us seriously and will continue working hard, every day, to bring important issues to light, tell the great stories of our time and help our readers navigate their lives.”
The L.A. Times Guild issued a statement to Variety saying it was “outraged” and “blindsided” by the decision.
“We are outraged by management’s announcement this morning that it plans to lay off 57 Guild members across several departments, amounting to roughly 15% of our entire newsroom membership, including several Guild leaders,” Reed Johnson, LAT Guild Unit council chair, said. “This list of targeted layoffs is not final. Under our contract, management is required to bargain with the Guild over proposed layoffs. Management also so far has failed to offer buyouts to staff as is required by our contract.”
The statement continued, “We were blindsided by this news. Management did not consult us in advance about other options for cutting costs and saving money, short of layoffs. We have been bargaining a new contract since September, and this was never hinted at during bargaining… The Guild is pushing back against this outrageous and reckless action by management. The company must discuss alternatives to their unnecessary and short-sighted decision.”