\u201cThe company has reneged on its promises to diversify its ranks since young journalists of color have been disproportionately affected,\u201d the newspaper\u2019s union says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In a move that jolted the journalism industry Tuesday, the Los Angeles Times, one of the leading newspapers in the country, laid off more than 115 journalists, a gash that affects several journalists of color.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Nearly a quarter of its newsroom staff members\u2002<\/a>were given notice Tuesday that their last days with the company would be in March.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe company has reneged on its promises to diversify its ranks since young journalists of color have been disproportionately affected,\u201d the Los Angeles Times Guild said in a statement Tuesday. \u201cThe Black, AAPI, and Latino Caucuses have suffered devastating losses. Voluntary buyouts could have helped prevent this, but that\u2019s not the path the company chose.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The team behind De Los,\u2002a vertical the Times launched in 2023\u2002<\/a>to cover the city\u2019s 49% Latino population, was gutted<\/a>. Jeong Park<\/a>, who was hired to cover Asian American communities in 2022<\/a>, was also laid off. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Kevin Merida, who is Black, resigned<\/a> this month as a prelude of what was to come. The Times\u2019 owner, billionaire Patrick Soon-Shiong, said the paper and Merida had \u201cmutually agreed\u201d to part ways, but the announcement was stunning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Managing editors Sara Yasin, who is Palestinian American, and Shani Hilton, who is Black, also recently resigned<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Editors and other workers of the L.A. Times Guild walked off the job Friday in protest of the forthcoming cuts, creating the first work stoppage in the newsroom by the union in the Times\u2019 143 years of existence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Soon-Shiong said<\/a> the paper was losing $30 million to $40 million a year. He said he has invested nearly $1 billion into the newspaper since he purchased it in 2018, \u201cunderscoring our dedication to preserving its legacy and securing its future.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cToday\u2019s decision is painful for all, but it is imperative that we act urgently and take steps to build a sustainable and thriving paper for the next generation,\u201d Soon-Shiong said in a statement published by the Times. \u201cWe are committed to doing so.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Nonetheless, Matt Pearce, the president of the Media Guild of the West, which represents journalists throughout Southern California, Texas and Arizona, described the moment as a \u201cdark day.\u201d He added in a statement that \u201cmany departments and clusters across the newsroom will be heavily hit. This total, while devastating, is nonetheless far lower than the number of layoffs the Bargaining Committee was expecting last week.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Times has a seniority clause, which puts the most recent hires on the chopping block first when cuts would have to be made. After the police murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis in May 2020, the paper \u2014 like many outlets \u2014 invested in covering marginalized communities. Almost four years later, those workers were among the most recent hires.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Staff members in the Washington bureau and on the business and breaking news desks were hit, as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The cuts come a week after Spanish-language network Univision\u2002laid off<\/a> more than 200 employees, including on-air talent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Adrian Carrasquillo, a national political reporter for The Messenger who writes about Latin politics in America, said on X<\/a>: \u201cOne of the greatest losses of Latino journalism talent and experience and community memory ever. Heartbreaking as a journalist and someone who cares about covering the community.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The union\u2019s statement also said: \u201cWe still believe in the Los Angeles Times and the important role it plays in a vibrant democracy. But a newspaper can\u2019t play that role when its staff has been cut to the bone. Los Angeles is a first-class city and needs a first-class newsroom to check its leaders, celebrate its victories, and tell the stories of its people.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n