McClatchy Layoffs: The Miami Herald Eliminates 30 Positions in Major Newsroom Cuts

Parent company McClatchy eliminated 30 staff positions at The Miami Herald in a sweeping round of corporate layoffs that current and former employees have characterised as a devastating blow to local investigative reporting and public accountability.

Widespread Impact Across Regional Newsrooms

The cuts at Miami-Dade County’s newspaper of record are part of a broader corporate downsizing directed by McClatchy across multiple regional media markets, reports Florida Politics. Alongside the Miami newsroom, other prominent publications owned by the company - including the Lexington Herald-Leader, The Kansas City Star, and The Charlotte Observer - absorbed substantial reductions. Uber Layoffs Impact: CEO Dara Khosrowshahi Says Savings Will Lower Ride Prices and Fund Growth.

Miami Herald Lays Off 30 Staffers

In the Pacific Northwest, the union representing workers at outlets such as The Idaho Statesman and The News Tribune reported that roughly a third of its unionised staff members were let go. Among the journalists cut at The Miami Herald were high-profile staff members, including Deputy Sports Editor Andre Fernandez, veteran sportswriter Michelle Kaufman, Miami City Hall reporter Tess Riski, photographer Alie Skowronski, and the entire reporting staff of the outlet's Spanish-language sister publication, El Nuevo Herald.

Concerns Over Accountability and Artificial Intelligence

The downsizing arrives amid growing tensions between newsroom guilds and corporate management regarding the integration of artificial intelligence tools. Earlier in the year, journalists across multiple McClatchy properties pushed back against corporate directives requiring them to let automated systems use their original reporting for AI summaries. Scripps Layoffs Hit 27 Senior Executives As Broadcaster Shifts to Regional Operating Model.

Deputy Investigations Editor Carol Marbin Miller noted that the latest cuts—which slashed more than a third of the active editorial staff—place the region on the precipice of becoming a news desert. "Of what significance is government in the sunshine when there are no watchdogs to look in all those otherwise dark places?" she cautioned, pointing out the severe toll the reduction takes on vital civic and government oversight.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 11, 2026 12:33 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).