Layoffs at Everett's Daily Herald leads to a Strike

Employees of Everett’s Daily Herald are on strike today. They’re protesting the management decisions that led to a dozen staffers being laid off from the newspaper last Wednesday. 

Back in March, Carpenter Media Group purchased Black Press Media, which owned 43 publications in Washington and Alaska, including the Herald. Carpenter says the restructuring is part of plans to improve the economics of the paper and better serve the community.  

The Daily Herald covers nearly 1 million residents in Snohomish and Island counties. Carpenter reportedly has plans to eliminate 62 positions across Sound Publishing, of which the Herald is its largest publication.

This decision comes amid years of contraction within local journalism.

To get more on the potential impacts, Soundside spoke with Caleb Hutton. He’s the local news editor of the Everett Herald, and is among the newsroom members who is being let go. 

KUOW requested to speak with representatives from Carpenter Media Group, but they have not responded.

Guests:

• Caleb Hutton - Local News Editor, Everett's Daily Herald

Relevant Links:

• HeraldNet.com - ‘This breaks my heart’: Roughly half of Everett Herald news staff laid off
• KUOW - Everett Herald’s new owner appears to censor story about layoffs 
• WA State Standard - At one of WA's oldest papers, deep cuts and an uncertain future

KUOW requested to speak with representatives from Carpenter Media Group, but they have not responded.