The Los Angeles Occasions is providing voluntary buyouts to staff who’ve been with the newspaper for 2 years or extra amid adjustments beneath proprietor Dr. Patrick Quickly-Shiong to maneuver the left-leaning outlet extra to the center.
In an electronic mail to staffers late Monday, LA Occasions brass mentioned that whereas the paper stays “a vital source of news and information for our city, region, state and beyond, the economic landscape of the media industry continues to be extremely challenging. The difficult financial situation faced by the Times requires us to remain diligent in managing costs.”
“By offering this voluntary buyout program, we aim to provide those of you who may be interested with the flexibility to explore your options,” the memo mentioned, whereas acknowledging the “inspiring” function staffers performed in delivering protection throughout the “devastating” fires that worn out a lot of the Pacific Palisades and Altadena.
Neither the LA Occasions or its union, The LA Occasions Guild, responded to requests looking for remark.
The information, first reported by Semafor, comes after billionaire proprietor Quickly-Shiong mentioned final yr that he was looking for a greater “balance” to the paper’s liberal editorial protection after he blocked his editorial board from publishing its endorsement then-Democratic presidential candidate, Vice President Kamala Harris.
Hundreds canceled their subscriptions in protest and a number of members of the editorial board resigned on the time.
Quickly-Shiong wrote on X in November that he deliberate to make his newspaper “fair and balanced so that all voices are heard and we can respectfully exchange every American’s view…from left to right to the center.”
“Coming soon. A new Editorial Board. Trust in media is critical for a strong democracy,” Quickly-Shiong wrote on X.
In December, the proprietor demanded that its editorial board “take a break from writing about” Trump, as he has reportedly turn out to be extra concerned in monitoring and in some circumstances censoring protection associated to the president.
The proprietor additionally lately tapped conservative commentator Scott Jennings to serve on the newspaper editorial board.
Previous to these adjustments, the newsroom endured a brutal spherical of layoffs final January, through which it slashed over 115 jobs — or greater than 20% of its 500-person newsroom — marking one of many largest workforce reductions within the newspaper’s 142-year-old historical past.
On the time, Quickly-Shiong mentioned the publication was shedding $30 million to $40 million a yr.
