The L.A. Times let the newsroom union know Thursday that another significant round of layoffs will be coming.
The newspaper laid off 13% of its staff in June 2023. The Times is just the latest example of major layoffs and budget cuts among newspapers and broadcasters over the span of the last few months. KNX News’ Chief Correspondent Charles Feldman spoke to Judy Muller, a professor emerita at USC's School of Journalism, about the state of local journalism.
“It’s another sad day for journalism,” she said.
Muller said staffing cuts aren’t just impacting print journalism, but also digital. Buzzfeed shut down its newsroom back in April.
“They all need a new business model and they're all struggling to find one, because ads and subscriptions are down,” Muller said. “And I think until people wake up, I mean, right now people think they get their news free from social media. It's not free. It's been taken from someplace else, from reporters who did the job and are paid to do it as professionals.”
She explained that when that goes away, all that will be left is misinformation.
Feldman noted that many students go to TikTok for their news. Muller said it’s not the way to go because there needs to be a way to verify that the information is reliable.
“It has to be independent, it can't just be gossip being repeated on TikTok or wherever else,” she said. “It's got to be an independent organization that owes nothing to anybody.”
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Muller thinks a business model involving subscriptions and community input could work.
“We have to start including the community in the reporting process and, you know, call us with tips, involve them with what's happening in their communities,” she said.
People have to feel proud about their local newspaper, she said. Muller believes that people will care if they’re involved in the process.
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