Los Angeles Times to Cut More Than 10% of Newsroom

The Los Angeles Times is slicing greater than 10 p.c of its newsroom jobs, its government editor, Kevin Merida, mentioned on Wednesday.

In an electronic mail to workers, Mr. Merida mentioned the corporate was restructuring and would eradicate 74 roles in consequence. A spokeswoman for the news group, Hillary Manning, mentioned about 500 individuals would stay.

“The restructuring stems from the same persistent economic headwinds facing news media across the country,” Mr. Merida mentioned within the electronic mail, which was obtained by The New York Times. “Collectively, we have done a vast amount of work as a company to meet the budget and revenue challenges head-on. But that work will need acceleration, and we will need more radical transformation in the newsroom for us to become a self-sustaining enterprise.”

Mr. Merida additionally mentioned that whereas “the weeks and months ahead will test us as a newsroom,” he remained “supremely confident” in regards to the publication’s future.

“We are on the brink, I’m convinced, of doing something extraordinary,” he mentioned, “transforming a 141-year-old newspaper into a truly next-generation digital powerhouse that serves the people of this city, and the world, in unparalleled ways.”

Mr. Merida was appointed two years in the past to guide the newsroom and assist it compete on a nationwide scale. Last month, The Los Angeles Times received two Pulitzer Prizes: for breaking news reporting and for characteristic images.

The Los Angeles Times is owned by Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong, a billionaire biotech entrepreneur, and his spouse, Michele B. Chan, who purchased the paper and different publications in 2018 from Tribune for $500 million. Dr. Soon-Shiong invested within the newsroom, including round 150 journalists.

Ms. Manning, the spokeswoman, mentioned in a press release that the economics of working a media enterprise had grown “increasingly challenging” for the reason that pandemic began and that the corporate was positioning itself to navigate this yr and past.

She declined to touch upon which sections could be affected by the cuts, however The Los Angeles Times reported that it might embrace some enhancing, audio producing and viewers engagement roles. The individuals being laid off had been to be told on Wednesday.

Reed Johnson, the unit council chair for the L.A. Times Guild, mentioned in a press release that the union was outraged by the choice, which might have an effect on about 15 p.c of unionized members of the newsroom.

“We were blindsided by this news,” he mentioned. “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.”

Other media organizations which have additionally made cuts in latest months embrace AE Daily News, Gannett, The Washington Post and NPR.