McClatchy Guts Newsrooms Nationwide Months After Controversial Push to AI
Papers in Miami, Kentucky and the Pacific Northwest saw as much as 30% of their staff cut on Thursday The post McClatchy Guts Newsrooms Nationwide Months After Controversial Push to AI appeared first on TheWrap .
McClatchy Media implemented extensive layoffs across its newsrooms nationwide, cutting staff in some cases by a third, on Thursday. The company, which owns prominent local outlets like the Bee, Miami Herald, and Charlotte Observer, cited a 41% decline in consumer revenue while local news expenses remained flat as the reason for the cuts.
The internal analysis, as revealed in an internal memo to staff, found that the current situation was no longer sustainable. Management claimed they had no choice but to focus resources and create the greatest value. More than 90 journalists were affected, with at least 13 papers in eight states losing staff. The cuts came after a revolt against McClatchy's controversial AI editorial tool, which some staff members claimed led to the production of repurposed versions of previous work using generative AI.
McClatchy has not yet made a public announcement of the cuts. The Pacific Northwest Newspaper Guild expressed shock and disappointment over the decision to lay off 33% of the unionized workforce at several Idaho-based papers, including Idaho Statesman, The News Tribune, Tri-City Herald, The Olympian, and Bellingham Herald. The Miami Herald's deputy investigations editor, Carol Marbin Miller, warned that the local news landscape in Miami could become a news desert due to the layoffs, urging civic leaders to engage in serious discussions about the future of journalism.
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