(LifeSiteNews) — NBC News is laying off 150 staffers, including those who cover niche and DEI-focused topics such as LGBT-themed news and racial identity politics.
The cuts come as NBC is splitting with its explicitly left-wing sister company, MSNBC.
“NBC News has laid off about 150 employees, roughly 7 percent of its newsroom, and dissolved its dedicated editorial teams covering Black, Latino, Asian American, and LGBTQ+ communities,” the pro-LGBT Advocate reported, based on an article by The Wrap but independently confirmed by the leftist outlet.
“NBC Out showcases feature stories, original videos and other unique content about, and of interest to, the (so-called) lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer community,” the website description states.
Its reporting included a mix of stories about legal developments surrounding prohibitions on the surgical and chemical mutilation of minors and the controversy surrounding “transgender athletes” as well as pop culture articles on the end of an “iconic lesbian party” that had been occurring for decades.
NBC Universal chairman Cesar Conde said the decision is not a political one but about budgets.
“We have sought to minimize the number of affected team members, and our teams’ decisions should not be seen as a reflection on our colleagues who will be leaving,” Conde stated, as reported by the pro-LGBT Washington Blade. “We will miss them and their valuable contributions.”
Some reporters will stay, but pro-homosexual and transgender groups are criticizing the decision.
GLAAD communications director Richard Ferraro told the Advocate that the cuts to NBC OUT are “part of a dangerous pattern of mainstream media outlets choosing to lose trusted and talented journalists who focus on important LGBTQ news that otherwise is under-reported or not reported at all.”
The National Association of LGBTQ+ Journalists (NJGJA) made a similar statement, as reported by the Washington Blade.
“These newsroom cuts do not just impact individual journalists. They erode diversity across the media landscape and run the risk of reducing the amount of high-quality LGBTQ+ coverage that is available to readers,” National Board president Ken Miguel stated. “NLGJA urges news leaders to explore alternatives to layoffs and prioritize retaining diverse voices. Financial challenges are real, but they can be addressed through innovative strategies that preserve both sustainability and inclusivity.”
Media critic Andrew Stiles said these cuts and others at CNN are due to declining trust in the journalism industry.
“Liberal journalists — pardon the redundancy — have only themselves to blame. Some network executives may have finally realized something has to change,” Stiles wrote for the Washington Free Beacon. “Filling the airwaves with partisan hacks who openly disdain half the country might not be a viable business strategy. It remains to be seen whether the industry is capable of salvaging its reputation, but the layoffs are a good start.”
