McClatchy, a prominent media company, has implemented significant layoffs across its newsrooms, with some California locations experiencing cuts of up to 40% of their staff. The company announced the reductions on Thursday, impacting more than 90 journalists nationwide. Among the hardest-hit newsrooms are The Sacramento Bee, which lost at least 10 journalists, and The Fresno Bee, which cut seven reporters. Miami Herald and The Sacramento Bee are among the properties owned by McClatchy.
The layoffs affected employees at at least 13 McClatchy newspapers across eight states, including reporters, photographers, and videographers. Ariane Lange, an investigative reporter at The Sacramento Bee and vice chair of the newsroom’s union, described the situation as “the bloodiest round of layoffs in quite some time at McClatchy.”
The company is owned by the private investment firm Chatham Asset Management. The cuts are anticipated to have a considerable effect on the reporting of government affairs, educational developments, and accountability journalism, as well as sports coverage.