Los Angeles Times Lays Off Over 100 Journalists, Especially Affecting Latino Coverage

The Los Angeles Times announced the layoff of 112 newsroom employees, one-fourth of its newsroom staff, marking a historic moment for the 143-year-old institution.The Times Guild, representing the journalists, revealed that 94 were gilded journalists and termed it a "dark day," emphasizing the heavy impact these layoffs would have across the newsroom.

Earlier in the month, Executive Editor Kevin Merida's abrupt departure further underscored the ongoing upheaval within the organization.

Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong, the billionaire owner of The Los Angeles Times, said to The New York Times that yearly losses amounted to between $30 million and $40 million.

Latino Journalists were particularly affected

The impact of these layoffs extends beyond numbers. Sources within the LA Times revealed to the Latin Times that the De Los section, dedicated to the burgeoning Latino community of Los Angeles, faced a staggering reduction, losing 75% of its staff.

Los Angeles Times en Español, which served as a crucial platform for Spanish-speaking Angelenos, faced the dismissal of its editor. The remaining staff of both the Spanish edition and De Los falls under the leadership of Fidel Martínez. This consolidation raises questions about the future representation and voice of the Latino community in mainstream media, particularly in a city where they play an integral and dynamic role.

According to the 2022 Census numbers, the Latino population in Los Angeles is 4.9 million strong, representing 49% of the total

The entertainment, opinion and business desks, the Washington bureau and the "Fast Break" desk, which covers breaking news, were also drastically reduced.

"I've been laid off from my job as a columnist for the LA Times today, with 100 of my best colleagues. It's a dark day. I was the only Latina columnist for the opinion desk. Trump is looming & I'm author of Hatemonger," wrote journalist Jean Guerrero in Twitter.

A trembling media environment

The last year has been marked by unprecedented turbulence in the media and tech industries, a wave of layoffs has swept across some of the sector's most prominent companies, including Spotify, Google, Twitch, Pitchfork, Sports Illustrated, and Univision, among others.

Conde Nast could be next. Today, the day the Oscar nominations were announced, its journalists staged a 24-hour walkout.

Spotify, the renowned music streaming giant, significant reduced its workforce, laying off in december 6% of its employees, or around 600 people. The layoffs were accompanied by a major reshuffle in the executive team, indicating a strategic pivot in the company's approach to the market​​.

Meanwhile, Alphabet, the parent company of Google, announced its largest-ever round of layoffs, slashing 12,000 jobs across the board. In a similar vein, Amazon-owned Twitch, a leading live streaming platform, let go 35% of its workforce, amounting to over 500 employees.

Most of Sports Illustrated's unionized staff were laid off last Friday after its parent company, the Arena Group, failed to make a $3.75 million quarterly payment to the group that it licenses Sports Illustrated's brand from.

​​

Univision and Telemundo staff were also let go

In the realm of Hispanic media, Univision, a dominant force in the U.S. Spanish-speaking TV network, laid off around 200 employees across various departments last week. Telemundo had done the same in the fall.

These layoffs across major media and tech companies are part of a broader trend within the industry, which saw over 20,000 layoffs in 2023. This represents the highest number of layoffs since 2020, impacting various sectors including magazines, public radio, trade publications, and cable networks. Major news organizations like CNN, Gannett, The Washington Post, NBCUniversal, and ABC News have also faced significant layoffs​​.