Idaho Statesman sees large staff cut as part of national owner’s layoffs
Published at
BOISE (BoiseDev) — At least 10 Idaho Statesman journalists have been laid off after a round of sweeping job cuts by its parent company, McClatchy Media Company.
The Pacific Northwest Newspaper Guild, the union many Idaho Statesman reporters belong to, confirmed the job cuts on Thursday in a statement saying it is “shocked and disappointed.” The guild also said McClatchy laid off people at four papers it represents in Washington.
“These severe cuts will hobble these news organizations and leave the public throughout the Northwest less informed about the events and decisions that affect them, and with fewer people holding the powerful to account,” the statement said. “These are journalists who investigated local hospitals, served as watchdogs over state and local government, showed up at every high school game, jumped in to cover breaking news like wildfires, covered news in overlooked communities, and monitored development in one of the fastest-growing regions in the country.”
The Idaho Statesman’s staff page lists 22 editorial employees. At least one non-union employee has said on social media that they were among those laid off, which indicates at least half of the outlet’s staff has been let go.
The union just celebrated contract negotiations with McClatchy in June, which included agreements for 7.2% to 15.5% raises over the next three years, a $52,000 minimum salary for current employees, and a ban on AI replacing staff.
McClatchy also controls newsrooms in 29 other U.S. cities. Its publications include the Sacramento Bee, the Miami Herald, and the Charlotte Observer. The company says on its website that its newspapers have a combined 65 million monthly readers and 54 Pulitzer Prizes.
Multiple reports show the Idaho Statesman layoffs weren’t the only ones from McClatchy on Thursday. An exact count of how many layoffs occurred is not available, but several outlets and journalists reported various cuts.
The Pacific Northwest Newspaper Guild said seven reporters across McClatchy’s four Washington newspapers were also let go.
According to Western Kentucky University Public Radio, 12 journalists were fired from the Lexington Herald-Leader. WKU Public Radio said that leaves the paper with two journalists to cover city and state government in Kentucky.
The Charlotte Ledger reported McClatchy also cut eight newsroom employees from the Charlotte Observer. Louisville Public Media reported the KC Star and Miami Herald were also impacted by the layoffs. A columnist for the Sacramento Bee said her newsroom was also impacted.
McClatchy also owns national lifestyle magazines Us Weekly and Woman’s World. Media publication Status News reported this spring that Us Weekly laid off half its staff. Last year, McClatchy shut down In Touch, Life & Style, Closer, and First for Women, laying off all employees.
“McClatchy has decided that short-term profits for a hedge fund matter more than the well-being of the communities that its newspapers are supposed to serve. That is a model that is destined to fail,” Pacific Northwest Newspaper Guild’s statement said.
McClatchy is a private company, owned by New Jersey-based hedge fund Chatham Asset Management.
A McClatchy spokesperson and Chadd Cripe, editor of the Idaho Statesman, did not return requests for comment ahead of publication.
Don Day contributed reporting.