Los Angeles Times Cuts 14 From Newsroom

The Los Angeles Times laid off 14 newsroom staffers Friday, marking its third round of newsroom job cuts in three years. 

The latest reduction represents approximately 6% of the newsroom, which had about 230 staffers prior to the layoffs. The Los Angeles Times Guild Unit Council and Bargaining Team expressed devastation, stating, “This will leave the Los Angeles Times ever more decimated,” and noted that the cuts could shift as they negotiate the layoff’s effects in the coming weeks.

These layoffs follow significant workforce reductions earlier in 2025, including 40 newsroom employees accepting voluntary buyouts in February and dozens of layoffs across the company’s operations and communications sections in March. 

The newspaper, owned by billionaire Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong, has faced ongoing financial struggles, reportedly losing around $50 million in 2024, compounded by a loss of 25,000 paying subscribers, with digital subscribers at about 250,000 and print subscribers at 75,000. The Pacific Palisades fires further eroded print subscriptions, which generate three times the revenue of digital ones.

The broader context reveals a newsroom grappling with instability. 

In January 2024, The Times cut over 20% of its newsroom (115 staffers), one of the largest reductions in its 142-year history, disproportionately affecting journalists of color due to union seniority clauses.

The guild criticized management’s “middling strategy” and lack of clear direction, while Soon-Shiong has pushed for a more ideologically balanced approach, including a controversial AI-powered “bias meter” launched in March 2025 that drew criticism for downplaying the KKK’s racist history.

Staff morale is low. The Times remains the largest newsroom in the western U.S., but its repeated layoffs reflect broader industry challenges, with advertising revenue collapsing and digital transitions failing to offset losses.