Latino journalist layoffs threaten coverage of 2024 election disinformation

As Covid ravaged the country, Los Angeles Times opinion writer Jean Guerrero saw firsthand how outrageous claims of cures on social media were being passed around Latino families by relatives.

But on Tuesday, Guerrero, the newspaper's only Latina opinion columnist, got a layoff notice, one of the many Hispanic and other journalists of color among the 115 newsroom staffers that the outlet chopped.

In recent years, experts have flagged misinformation and disinformation specifically targeting Latinos and Spanish speakers on topics such as Covid as well as climate-related issues and politics, including immigration.

This kind of language has been decried by those who point out that the gunman who killed 23 people at an El Paso, Texas, Walmart in 2019 cited an “invasion” of immigrants and said he was targeting “Mexicans,” according to authorities.

"With the rabid disinformation and deepfakes that we anticipate, having those trusted voices absent from newsrooms can really tilt the scales against democracy and democratic norms."

Because the L.A. Times laid off journalists with less seniority, that meant many young Latinos, some hired amid the push for diversity following the murder of George Floyd, got layoff notices.

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