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by WILL FOLKS
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Five reporters at South Carolina’s erstwhile newspaper of record – including a former journalist of the year – lost their jobs this week as part of a nationwide corporate purge.
McClatchy Media laid off at least ninety (90) reporters across the country, per a report from Poynter.
“McClatchy is reshaping its newsroom structure to more closely align resources with changing subscriber interests and the ways audiences engage with local news,” the company asserted in a notice accompanying the layoffs. “As part of this change, we’re focusing resources on journalism that subscribers value and that can have the highest impact in the communities we serve.”
McClatchy told those who were fired that their terminations were “not a reflection of the individual’s performance or contributions, but of our commitment to positioning the organization for long-term sustainability and growth.”
“The cuts included reporters, photographers and videographers and affected coverage ranging from government and education to accountability to sports,” Poynter’s Angela Fu noted. “At least 13 papers across eight states lost staff.”
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Five journalists at The (Columbia, S.C.) State newspaper lost their jobs in connection with the purge, including Sammy Fretwell – the S.C. Press Association’s 2017 Journalist of the Year.
“For those who have not heard, my job as The State’s environmental reporter was eliminated this week as part of McClatchy’s layoffs,” Fretwell wrote on X. “It has been a good 31-year run covering SC’s environment.”
According to The State News Guild, reporters Zak Koeske, Morgan Hughes and Lucy Valeski were also let go, as was photographer Joshua Boucher, one of the pool photographers at the internationally watched first trial of accused killer Alex Murdaugh.
“My job covering South Carolina politics and government for The State was eliminated yesterday,” Valeski wrote on X. “Reporting here has been a dream, and I’ve loved writing for my community. I’m very sad to leave, but I’m so grateful for everyone I worked with at the newspaper.”
McClatchy’s struggles in recent years have been well-documented. The former publicly traded company – which once did $2.3 billion in business a year – filed for bankruptcy in 2020 and was acquired for a meager $312 million by Chatham Asset Management.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR…
Will Folks is the founding editor of the news outlet you are currently reading. Prior to founding FITSNews, he served as press secretary to the governor of South Carolina. He lives in the Midlands region of the state with his wife and eight children.
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SOUND OFF…
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