LOS ANGELES (2UG) – The Los Angeles Times will be cutting 74 positions from its newsroom due to declining revenue, according to one of its reporters.
The loss from its newsrooms represents about 13% of the workforce, according to Meg James with The Times.
“Full-time and temporary workers will be let go, including a handful of managers. Reporting positions are expected to be largely spared but production staff will be trimmed, including editors on the news and copy desks as well as the audience engagement team. Some photographers and audio producers will also be cut.”
According to James, Executive Editor Kevin Merida announced the layoffs Wednesday in a note to the newsroom, saying the decision was “made more urgent by the economic climate and the unique challenges of our industry.”
“Decisions that result in talented staffers losing their jobs are agonizing,” Merida wrote. “We will be saying goodbye to some tremendous colleagues.”
Part of the challenge, in 2UrbanGirls opinion, is the lack of connection between their writers and the communities they serve.
Additionally, the cost to get the daily paper is ridiculous.
When I was in high school the paper was 3X the current size and cost $0.50 cent per day. Now it is as thick as a magazine and costs $3.66 per DAY. Why should a resident have to spend close to $25 a week to purchase a newspaper that has no connection to them?
The Times imports journalists from around the country who have no connection to the City making it impossible for them to cover and find news that relates to communities South of the 10 freeway.
2UrbanGirls wishes we could afford to hire those being laid off but it’s highly unlikely that a professionally educated/trained journalist would consider working for a community blog.
Read the full article here.
1 Comment
Well that’s what happens when you report your opinion instead of just the news. I had a subscription to LA times for 15 years, once my news was someone’s opinion of the latest developments I decided to cancel. If I wanted opinion instead of facts I’ll just watch it for free everywhere else.