The Fresno Bee disclosed today that it is laying off up to 40% of its newsroom staff, a move tied to a nationwide reduction across McClatchy Media Company, the parent organization owned by hedge fund Chatham Asset Management.
Local impact on reporting
According to Bee reporter and Bee News Guild co‑chair Josh Tehee, seven reporters and one editor were let go on Thursday. “We are losing positions that I do not think will be replaced within the news landscape,” Tehee said, noting the cuts represent a substantial loss for the city. He estimated the reduction amounts to roughly 30‑40% of the newsroom, leaving the paper with about a dozen staff members to cover Fresno, California’s fifth‑largest city and a county larger than six states.
Concerns over AI adoption
Union members fear the layoffs are linked to McClatchy’s push to use artificial‑intelligence tools for content creation. The New York Times reported in May that McClatchy is experimenting with AI to “spit out” articles, and the company began rolling out AI bots in March that allow editors to produce summarized versions of reporters’ work under new headlines. Tehee said the AI content‑scaling bot has already been introduced in the Fresno office, raising concerns among staff about the future role of human journalists.
Notable staff affected
Among those laid off was Melissa Montalvo, whose investigative reporting into a death at Mary’s Chicken in Sanger sparked a state investigation. The Bee’s editor, Christopher Kirkpatrick, did not respond to requests for comment on the newsroom’s future.
Broader McClatchy cuts
Similar layoffs were announced at other McClatchy papers, including the Miami Herald, which famously broke the Jeffrey Epstein story, and outlets in Idaho, Washington, Kentucky, South Carolina, Kansas City, and Charlotte. Approximately 30% of staff were cut at those locations as well.
Union response
In April, more than 30 staffers at the Sacramento Bee, another McClatchy‑owned paper, refused to place their names on articles generated by the new AI “content scaling agent.” ProPublica’s union also voted to strike if the company does not halt AI‑related layoffs.
The Fresno Bee’s reductions underscore growing tensions between traditional journalism and emerging AI technologies, as well as the financial pressures facing local news outlets nationwide.
Original reporting: Fresnoland — read the source article.
