McClatchy has cut more than 90 positions across its newspapers, prompting many to argue that communities will suffer from weaker local reporting.
Here's what to know
Across 17 McClatchy outlets, the company eliminated at least 90 jobs, with cuts hitting newspapers in Washington, Idaho, California, Kentucky, the Carolinas, Florida, Pennsylvania, Missouri, and Texas, according to Common Dreams.
According to the NewsGuild-CWA and the Pacific Northwest Newspaper Guild, the consequences extend beyond smaller newsrooms' staff members. Readers who depend on scrutiny of schools, municipal government, wildfire response, and business conduct are also likely to lose coverage.
In Washington alone, at least seven reporters were laid off at The Bellingham Herald, The News Tribune, The Olympian, and Tri-City Herald. For Tacoma, cuts leave the city without "even a single dedicated journalist tracking city hall, Pierce County government, or local schools."
Spokesman-Review reporter Alexandra Duggan described the layoffs on Bluesky as "a damn bloodbath" and added, "Journalism is so needed. Cutting investigative reporters, city reporters… Idaho and Washington will be worse off."
The union said communities near the Canadian border are now without an environmental reporter, and that Eastern Washington's Hispanic community also lost a Spanish-language journalist.
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Idaho Statesman sports writer Michael Lycklama said, "When corporate plans fail, McClatchy executives run and hide while our workers and this community suffer all the consequences."
More background
Critics say the backlash is tied not just to the size of the layoffs, but to the ownership. After going through bankruptcy in 2020, Chatham Asset Management took over McClatchy, ending its time as a family-run company.
Among those laid off were reporters who dug into hospital systems, followed state and local officials, covered prep sports, watched wildfire season, reported from underserved communities, and tracked growth in rapidly developing areas.
In practical terms, that leaves fewer journalists to monitor public spending, cover disasters, and report on other matters of public concern.
Washington is only part of the picture. A quarter of the newsroom at The Modesto Bee was cut, half of the Pulitzer Prize-winning newsroom at the Lexington Herald-Leader was cut, the Miami Herald lost its city hall reporter, and El Nuevo Herald saw its writing staff gutted.
What can be done?
McClatchy leadership said in an internal email that subscriber revenue was down 41% over five years while local news costs were mostly unchanged, so the company was "reshaping our newsrooms" to match resources with subscriber demand.
Aaron Leibowitz, who left the Miami Herald, wrote that his former colleagues "deserve better than this disingenuous spin from McClatchy's hedge fund owners" and said revenue declines reflected management failures as well as shifts in audience behavior.
Lycklama said, "These layoffs will create holes in our community and leave it poorer. There are now drastically fewer eyes watching your elected officials. Fewer reporters uncovering shady businesses. And fewer journalists to highlight and celebrate our state's unsung heroes."
Where can I learn more?
Layoffs like these mean fewer reporters digging into corporate conduct, environmental claims, and everyday business practices. Here are a few articles on greenwashing, waste, and fossil-fuel financing — the kinds of issues that can get less attention when local newsrooms are stretched thin.
• Inditex, Zara's parent company, faced backlash after carbon emissions increased alongside shipping delays.
• In the U.S. and Europe, regulators moved to curb greenwashing in consumer markets.
• Lowe's workers described wasteful cardboard disposal as a routine sustainability failure inside stores.
• Major banks kept boosting profits through fossil fuel financing despite climate commitments.
• At Target and other brands, shoppers were urged to watch for greenwashing tactics on labels.
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