​

​

Jan. 24, 2024 —

​

Among yesterday’s layoffs announced by the LA Times was the only Latina columnist for the Los Angeles Times’ opinion desk, Jean Guerrero, as well as other notable Latino journalists including Jack Herrera and Suzy Exposito. 

Despite making up 18% of the overall U.S. workforce, representation of Latinos in the media is at critically low levels, making up only 12% of the media workforce and just 4% of industry management, according to a recent GAO analysis.

 

Statement by Nathaly Arriola Maurice, Aquí’s Lead Strategist, in response:

 

"The announced Los Angeles Times' layoffs of at least 115 people, including the decimation of its DELOS, 404 and Washington DC bureau teams, is deeply concerning. These cuts, on the eve of the 2024 elections, couldn't have come at a worse time. The paper is now reneging on its promise to hire "more reporters and editors of color” and to "better represent Los Angeles and California by providing more and better coverage of Black, Latino, Asian and other underrepresented communities in our English- and Spanish-language.”

 

Not only are the livelihoods of these talented journalists and industry workers impacted, but also the paper's audiences will suffer the effect of a newsroom with less diverse voices. We call on the leaders of the LA Times to swiftly respond to these concerns. We reject the premise that the only way for the LA Times to remain profitable in today’s media industry is by cutting Latino talent."

​

###

​

Aquí: The Accountability Movement is a nonpartisan culture-defending and media-monitoring accountability organization advocating for the 60 million Latinos who live, work in, and build the United States. Through high-impact campaigns, strategic partnerships, and harnessing the power of millions of constituents, Aquí holds bad actors accountable by fighting the exclusion and invisibility of Latino people in national narratives and positions of power, demanding fair and accurate portrayals of Latinos as well as greater representation, and defending against harmful attacks, stereotypes, and demagoguery.