Press Release

NAHJ Concerned with Recent Layoffs at Dallas Morning News and other Daily Newspapers

Washington, D.C. -- The National Association of Hispanic Journalists is troubled by the recent layoffs of six Hispanic journalists at The Dallas Morning News and the impact their departure will have on Latino newsroom employment and news coverage.

NAHJ is also concerned by announcements that the Houston Chronicle and the San Francisco Chronicle will lay off up to 10 percent of their newsroom staff as well as the Tribune Company's plan to cut more than 200 jobs. NAHJ fears this marks the beginning of an industry-wide trend to downsize newsrooms, resulting in less diverse news staffs. NAHJ calls upon the news industry in these cost-cutting times to not reverse the modest gains being made in the push for newspapers to better reflect the communities they serve.

The layoff of any journalist disturbs our association because of the impact it will have on coverage of vital issues. But we are particularly distressed by the departure of such a large number of Latino journalists at The Dallas Morning News given the lack of diversity that exists at the paper and in our nation's newsrooms.

Six influential Latino journalists were among 65 colleagues at The Dallas Morning News who lost their jobs. Not only do Latinos represent 10 percent of all those laid off, but the newspaper cut 25 percent - one of every four - of its Latino newsroom staff.

Latinos make up only 4 percent of all journalists working at our nation's English-language daily newspapers while people of color make up 13 percent of all newsroom personnel. Latinos make up only an estimated 5 percent of the newsroom personnel at The Dallas Morning News but 21 percent of the population in the paper's circulation area.

"We're deeply disappointed that the layoffs hit Latinos so hard and apparently so disproportionately," said Iván Román, NAHJ's executive director. "It's even more troubling in a place like Texas, where given the demographics, concerns about coverage of Latinos and representation in the media should be high on everyone's agenda."

The Dallas Morning News is one of the most influential newspapers in the country located in a border state. We are concerned that coverage of the Latino community will suffer as a result of this layoff and the morale of Latino journalists working at the paper may be shaken by the departure of such seasoned professionals, leaving them anxious about their own job status and the paper's ongoing commitment to diversity.

The Morning News decision to reduce its newsroom staff follows an announcement by the paper admitting that it overstated circulation figures while profits for Belo, the paper's parent company, fell in the third quarter. NAHJ hopes the announcement by The Morning News of overstated circulation figures was not a factor in the paper's decision to downsize the newsroom.