LA Times Layoffs Hit Journalists Of Color Hard – What Does This Mean For Tech Journalism?
Yesterday, the Los Angeles Times laid off more than 115 journalists, more than 20% of its newsroom.
Several journalists of color have been affected by the cuts, which the Los Angeles Times Guild says the company could have prevented.
LA Times Layoffs
“The company has reneged on its promises to diversify its ranks since young journalists of color have been disproportionately affected,” said the Los Angeles Times Guild in a statement.
“The Black, AAPI, and Latino Caucuses have suffered devastating losses. Voluntary buyouts could have helped prevent this, but that’s not the path the company chose.”
The team behind De Los, a vertical covering the city’s 49% Latine population, and Jeong Park, who covered Asian American communities, were also laid off.
Earlier this month, LA Times Executive Editor Kevin Merida, who is Black, announced he would step down after two years. Merida oversaw the newsroom, Times Community News, and Los Angeles Times en Español and took steps to promote diversity throughout the newsroom. The LA Times won three Pulitzer Prizes during his tenure.
Managing editors Sara Yasin, a Palestinian American, and Shani Hilton, who is Black, also recently resigned.
Tech Reporter Brian Contreras, who is half Cuban and a member of the Latino Caucus, was among the layoffs.
Contreras had been covering internet platforms and the influencer economy with the tech team with stories such as Black creators leaving TikTok over racial bias.
“If these layoffs are allowed to go through, our caucuses will be decimated,” Contreras told Journal-isms.
“This is in large part because the company refused to offer newsroom-wide voluntary buyouts before launching these layoffs, which could’ve incentivized more senior staff members (who are disproportionately white) to step up and take the place of younger staff members (who are disproportionately POCs and more likely to get laid off).”
“A Massive Loss For The Industry”
Disappointment was shown across social media, with many concerned about the layoffs.
“Watching my timeline fill with Black and Latine voices announcing they’ve been let go leaves me heartsick and I’m also seething with rage thinking of the diversity progress that’s been reversed in a week,” said writer Gerrick Kennedy.
Madori Davis wrote, “The amount of people of color laid off from the LA Times today is worrying for a paper that is covering one of the most diverse cities in the nation.”
Texas Congressman Joaquin Castro also voiced his disappointment online.
“Over the past few years, the @latimes made a considerable effort to diversify their newsroom. Today, they laid off over 100 talented journalists – many of them people of color,” he wrote. “These folks were dedicated to serving their community, and this is a massive loss for the industry.”
The paper’s owner, Dr Patrick Soon-Shiong, said the cuts were necessary because the paper could no longer lose $30 million to $40 million a year without progressing toward building a higher readership that would bring in advertising and subscriptions to sustain the organization.
“Today’s decision is painful for all, but it is imperative that we act urgently and take steps to build a sustainable and thriving paper for the next generation. We are committed to doing so,” Soon-Shiong said.
What Does This Mean For Tech Journalism?
Black journalists and journalists of color have long shaped the tech industry, covering and influencing the rapidly evolving industry.
According to research, the overall estimate of tech journalists is 77-84% white, showing the lack of diversity.
Recent years have also seen the tech industry go back on its promises made in the aftermath of George Floyd’s murder. Despite pushback, many tech journalists of color are their platforms to address matters of diversity, equity, and inclusion and hold industry figures to account.
Their efforts are invaluable to the tech industry and their communities. According to Pew Research, 40% of Black Americans say it’s crucial for news about race to come from Black reporters.
“Journalists are the craftspeople of power, politics, culture, and privilege. Changing the face of journalism starts by changing the tastemakers who curate our stories,” wrote Dominic-Madori Davis, senior reporter at TechCrunch.
Highlighting the lack of diverse tech reporters, she asked: “Can you name, right now, five Black business and tech editors at any of the top publications? Ten names, right now. Then name five more Black reporters on staff covering the same thing.”
Last year saw notable publications such as The Plug and gal-dem close their doors, with widespread layoffs in journalism disproportionately impacting people of color.
This year, layoffs at Time Magazine, YouTube, and now the LA Times are a worrying sign of things to come in an industry desperately in need of diverse voices.
