The Los Angeles Times newsroom just got hit with a meteor shower of layoffs, leaving a crater of despair and casting a dark cloud over the future of the publication. Over 115 staffers, roughly a fifth of the entire workforce, were shown the door in a move the guild called “brutal and inhumane.”
Management Bungles Bloodletting
Apparently, the Times’ idea of informing its employees was a mass webinar where questions were about as welcome as a flaming asteroid. The guild also slammed management for trying to bully staff into accepting “extreme layoff terms” without even revealing the details – basically asking journalists to sign on the dotted line blindfolded. To add insult to injury, the union alleges the Times attempted to sabotage seniority and pit young journalists of color against veterans in the newsroom.
A Self-Inflicted Wound
The guild blames the bloodbath on years of bad decisions by bumbling leadership. They point to the lack of a publisher, a clear direction, and years of leaving vacant positions unfilled as the real culprits behind the layoffs. The recent walkout did manage to save some jobs, according to the union, but the newsroom is now a mere shadow of its former self, likely shrinking to under 400 employees.
Journalists Take to Social Media
The newsroom bloodbath has predictably sparked an outpouring of tweets from those impacted. Sarah Wire, a D.C.-based reporter, described the Washington bureau as being “decimated.” Apparently, the bureau had already been weakened by years of unfilled positions, and now it’s been cut to the bone, leaving a mere five reporters to cover the nation’s capital.
This is a developing story, so stay tuned for further updates on the fallout from this brutal round of layoffs at the Los Angeles Times.
