U.S. Newsrooms Cut 11,000 Jobs In First Half Of This Year, A Surge From Prior Years

More than 11,000 journalists in the U.S. lost their jobs in the first half of this year, according to a survey by global outplacement and executive and business coaching firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas Inc.

On the whole, U.S. newsrooms cut 11,027 jobs this year, a 169.8% surge from the 4,087 job cuts reported in the first half of 2019; and 116% higher than the 5,104 newsroom cuts through June 2018.

In 2018, a total of 11,878 newsroom jobs were slashed, making it the worst year since 2008, when 14,265 newsroom cuts were announced.

The first-half total for 2020 almost matches all job cuts of 2018.

“Newsrooms have had a rough few years, as revenues declined and consolidation in the industry decimated news teams. Coupled with a hostile environment for many journalists, news has become an increasingly difficult career path,” said Andrew Challenger, senior vice president of Challenger, Gray & Christmas, Inc. “That said, the importance of reporters and newsrooms that hold themselves to a high journalistic standard cannot be understated, especially during a global pandemic and a divisive election year.”

BuzzFeed, New York Magazine owner Vox Media, Vice Media and the Los Angeles Times are among the news outlets that have cut jobs. The New York Times recently slashed 68 jobs but kept its newsroom intact.

Challenger also said that in addition to layoffs, some newsrooms are pressuring journalists to take paid time off or furloughing them without pay for a period.

A recent Challenger survey found that 23.3% of respondents said they furloughed workers due to COVID-19, but have recalled most of them. Another 30% of news companies said they cut their workers’ pay and 56% of those companies said as a result of wage cuts they were able to avoid layoffs.

“Taking dedicated journalists off their beats, even temporarily, ultimately hurts the general public. However, many companies, not just newsrooms, are opting for other cost=saving measures to avoid layoffs, such as pay cuts, and finding them preferable to losing valuable staff,” said Challenger.