McClatchy, the owner of The Miami Herald, The Sacramento Bee and dozens of other newspapers, cut more than 90 journalist and media positions last Thursday in one of its largest rounds of layoffs in years.

The reductions hit at least 13 papers across eight states and affected reporters, photographers and videographers. Union estimates placed the total at more than 90 unionized workers, representing roughly 30 percent of McClatchy’s unionized staff.

The Miami Herald lost more than 30 roles, over one-third of its editorial staff. Its Spanish-language sister paper, El Nuevo Herald, saw nearly its entire newsroom eliminated. The Pacific Northwest Newspaper Guild reported that 17 journalists, about a third of unionized employees, were let go at papers including The Idaho Statesman, The News Tribune in Tacoma, The Olympian, The Tri-City Herald and The Bellingham Herald.

Other outlets felt sharp reductions as well. The Lexington Herald-Leader in Kentucky laid off 13 of its 23 newsroom employees. The Charlotte Observer lost nearly a quarter of its staff, including its two investigative reporters. The Sacramento Bee cut at least 10 positions, including its entire sports department. The Kansas City Star and papers in California such as The Fresno Bee and Modesto Bee also lost reporters.

An internal memo from executive vice president of local news Greg Farmer cited a 41 percent drop in consumer revenue over five years while local news spending remained flat. The company said it was restructuring to align staffing with subscriber interests and would concentrate resources on high-impact local journalism.

McClatchy is owned by the private investment firm Chatham Asset Management. The Pacific Northwest Newspaper Guild stated that the cuts showed the company prioritized short-term profits for a hedge fund over service to communities.

The layoffs come months after McClatchy faced internal pushback over its development of a generative AI tool for content. Several journalists had threatened to withhold bylines from AI-generated stories.

These reductions continue a long-term contraction in the newspaper industry driven by the shift of advertising revenue to digital platforms. Local newsrooms have repeatedly faced similar pressures as print circulation and traditional revenue models decline.