Los Angeles Times Cutting More Than 10 Percent of Newsroom

The Los Angeles Times Building in downtown Los Angeles on Feb. 7, 2018. Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images

The Los Angeles Times this week became the latest media organization to announce job cuts, saying it would terminate more than 10 percent of its newsroom.

The paper is firing 74 newsroom employees, a spokeswoman confirmed via email to The Epoch Times on June 8.

“We have made the difficult decision to undergo a reorganization and eliminate certain positions within the company,” the Los Angeles Times said in a statement.

The terminated employees represent about 13 percent of the newsroom.

Reed Johnson, the chair of the L.A. Times Guild, said that the terminations “blindsided” the guild.

“Management did not consult us in advance about other options for cutting costs and saving money, short of layoffs,” Johnson said in a statement. “We have been bargaining a new contract since September, and this was never hinted at during bargaining.”

The previous contract hammered out between the guild and the Los Angeles Times states that the company must give the guild and newsroom at least 30 days’ notice of intended layoffs of employees represented by the union, according to a summary (pdf) released by the guild.

The spokeswoman said that the company “acted in good faith and as outlined in the union contract and California employment law.”

Of those being laid off, 57 are represented by the union, Johnson said. They include several union leaders.

Kent Nishimura, a Los Angeles Times photographer, said he was one of the workers being laid off.

He said he found out about the terminations from an article the paper published about the job cuts before getting notice from human resources.

Nishimura, who said he was on his honeymoon, wrote on Twitter that all of the photography department personnel who received termination notices are minorities. “If cut, the photo dept won’t have Spanish speakers,” he said.

Ameera Butt, an editor, said she also received notice while she was on vacation.

Alyssa Vega, another editor, added: “I’m still processing this. The entire homepage team, myself included, was given layoff notices yesterday. Our 24/7 desk is the air traffic center for the LAT digital platform. I’m unsure how the newsroom will operate without these essential roles.”

First Layoffs

The cuts are the first layoffs since Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong, a billionaire surgeon, purchased the Los Angeles Times and some other media outlets in 2019 for $500 million from Tribune Publishing, also known as Tronc.

The purchase came after cuts to the editorial staff but “saved the paper from more steep cuts,” the Los Angeles Times said at the time.

Soon-Shiong denied rumors in 2021 that he was looking to sell the papers.

“We are committed to the @LATimes,” he said.

“Dr. Soon-Shiong and his family continue to invest in and plan for the future of the California Times, which includes the L.A. Times and San Diego Union-Tribune, and do not plan to sell,” Chris Argentieri, president and chief operating officer, added in an email to employees at the time.

Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong in Hollywood, Calif., on Nov. 27, 2018. Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images

‘Increasingly Challenging’ Environment

The layoffs are being made due to the difficulty in operating media outlets, according to the Los Angeles Times.

“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,” the company said.

“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.”

The outlet wants to ultimately become “a self-sustaining institution that will serve the community for generations to come,” the company also said. “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 guild later Thursday posted pictures of a staff meeting headed by Kevin Merida, the executive editor of the Los Angeles Times.

“He must explain to the staff how we can be a top-notch, digital-first newsroom when he is proposing to lay off dozens of our colleagues whose work is essential,” the union said.

Merida was quoted as saying, “We looked at everything in terms of cost-cutting.” When asked about the layoffs primarily affecting certain departments, he said, “There’s just no really good answers.”

Latest Layoffs

The layoffs are the latest in the media world, with multiple companies in recent months cutting jobs.

BuzzFeed shut down its news division, citing an economic climate that features a slowdown in digital advertising and a “declining stock market.”

Business Insider, the Washington Post, CNN, Gannett, and NPR also announced terminations.

The VICE Media Group axed its top broadcast program in April and later declared bankruptcy.