Major layoffs leave the Daily Hampshire Gazette “overwhelmed”

Lifelong Western Massachusetts resident and Massachusetts Jobs with Justice co-director, Alicia Fleming followed the congressperson. “Local news coverage is really an integral part of the struggle for equity in our communities,” she said.  Fleming established a crucial timeline for lay-offs: in March, 13 staffers were laid off, including the only reporter of color, followed by outsourcing in July which resulted in 29 lost jobs and seven more staffers were laid off or bought out by the end of 2020. “For us, and all our community members, knowledge is in fact power.”

Fleming highlighted the danger that looms over the loss of local journalism. Critical coverage such as food insecurity or elected official oversight would be lost. She recalled an article about the death caused by police that quoted mainly officials and not community members. “With limited staffing, reporters are more likely to be drawn to the same ‘official’ sources of information, especially if they’re required to file multiple stories a day,” she said.