“Whitening of the Media”: As Pandemic Cuts Ravage Newsrooms, Diversity Is “First Thing That Goes”

At a time when many journalists are risking their lives to cover the coronavirus, media companies are slashing jobs and salaries. Over the past week, hundreds of journalists at Vice, Quartz, The Economist, BuzzFeed and Condé Nast have been laid off. In April, The New York Times estimated 36,000 employees of news media companies had been laid off, furloughed or had their pay reduced since the arrival of the pandemic. We speak with award-winning journalist and former editor of The Denver Post, Gregory Moore. He says, “Advertising has fallen out of these newspapers because of the economic shutdown, and it has led to devastating layoffs and furloughs … at a time when the public really needs quality information more than ever.” We also speak with freelance journalist Angely Mercado, who was laid off in March.

#DemocracyNow

Democracy Now! is an independent global news hour that airs on nearly 1,400 TV and radio stations Monday through Friday. Watch our livestream 89AM ET

Please consider supporting independent media by making a donation to Democracy Now! today

FOLLOW DEMOCRACY NOW! ONLINE:

Daily Email Digest