Nearly 15 percent of Americans were unemployed as of April 30, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Among those who are newly unemployed are journalists. Starting May 1, Vox Media furloughed nine percent of its editorial staff. Vox Media owns Curbed, a publication with outlets in many major cities across the U.S., including Los Angeles.
Fewer writers mean less in-depth news reported.
Alissa Walker, Urbanism Editor at Curbed LA, said writers at Curbed tend to produce articles that help people, such as “The renter’s guide to the coronavirus pandemic.”
“You just don't really see that kind of coverage, housing-focused or you know even real estate coverage, that's focused that way around how to help people in these times of need,” Walker said. “So we’re there, we have those guys, we're ready to go.”
While Angelenos can watch California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s and L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti’s daily briefings on television every day, sometimes the information is overwhelming and complicated. That’s where journalists come in.
“We have experts that understand these policy documents and these resolutions that are being introduced, and it’s very difficult to understand even if you are looking at them while they’re explaining these topics,” Walker said. “It’s not always easy for anybody who’s out in the city of L.A. to understand what’s going on at these meetings. We do need these interpreters if you will to make sure that we translate that to the public.”
Walker hopes more funding will be given to smaller publications once the pandemic is over so that writers can keep doing what they do best: writing.
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