The Los Angeles Times will cut 74 positions in the newsroom, or about 13% of staff, according to published reports.
From a story by media writer Meg James:
“Full-time and temporary workers will be let go, including a handful of managers. Reporting positions are expected to be spared but support staff will be trimmed, including editors on the news and copy desks as well as the audience engagement team. Some audio producers will also be cut.”
…
“The restructuring represents the first significant belt tightening since Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong and his wife Michele acquired the paper five years ago from Tribune Publishing, a company that no longer exists. Since then, The Times’ newsroom has been largely protected from massive layoffs that have hobbled many other news outlets.
Under Soon-Shiong, the newsroom added more than 150 journalists and it was making strong gains in revenue by early 2020. But the COVID-19 pandemic derailed the paper’s path to profitability as pandemic closures obliterated the paper’s advertising.”
If you’re following Times writers on Twitter, check in to see who’s saying goodbye.
A well-informed electorate depends on quality local journalism. The LA Times just won two Pulitzer Prizes. Suscribe to local media.