Overview

• The Los Angeles Times has laid off over 20% of its newsroom, including a significant number of diverse reporters, sparking backlash and a strike by the LA Times Guild.
• The layoffs are part of a broader trend in the media industry, with major newspapers and outlets such as The Washington Post, Sports Illustrated, and National Geographic also shedding staff.
• The LA Times Guild has criticized the company's refusal to offer voluntary buyouts before implementing the layoffs, arguing that this approach disproportionately impacts younger staff members who are more likely to be people of color.
• The layoffs come amid a period of financial struggle for the LA Times, with the paper reportedly losing tens of millions of dollars annually.
• Despite the layoffs, the LA Times' owner, Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong, has insisted that the cuts are necessary for the paper's long-term survival.