NBC News Faces Harsh Liberal Backlash for ‘Transforming Into MAGA State Media’ After It Lays Off Its Diversity Reporters

Reliably liberal NBC News is facing fierce backlash from its left-leaning viewers over layoffs this week that eliminated reporting teams focused on black, Hispanic, and gay news, as its divorce from MSNBC and CNBC is finalized. On Wednesday, NBCUniversal announced the layoffs as its owner Comcast spins off its cable business, separating NBC News from its longtime siblings MSNBC, soon to be known as MS NOW, and CNBC. According to the Wrap, about 150 staffers, or about 7 percent of NBC News’s newsroom, were laid off.A source told the Wrap that the cuts “did not target specific teams and were driven by the network’s budget and the desire to streamline its editorial efforts.” But the cuts did target NBC News’s diversity verticals. These verticals were NBC BLK, focusing on black people, NBC Asian America, NBC Latino, and NBC OUT, focusing on gay, lesbian, transgender, and “queer” issues.While NBC is cutting back its teams focused on LGBTQ and minority communities, activists have expressed optimism that MS NOW will provide a platform for such commentary and journalism. A LGBTQ-focused outlet, the Advocate, notes that MSNBC’s “The Weekend” show is co-hosted by two openly gay black men, Jonathan Capehart and Eugene Daniels.However, NBC’s decision to lay off its diversity reporters and editors — coming as other media companies such as CBS are rolling back and eliminating diversity initiatives they very publicly rolled out in response to George Floyd’s death — is leading to a harsh backlash.The chief communications officer of GLAAD, Rich Ferraro, told the Advocate the cuts are “part of a dangerous pattern of mainstream media outlets choosing to lose trusted and talented journalists who focus on important LGBTQ news that otherwise is under-reported or not reported at all.”“This is a terrible and poorly-timed loss for journalism and for our democracy,” Mr. Ferraro said. A singer-songwriter, Ricky Davila, posted on X, “In another step towards fully transforming into MAGA state media, NBC News has officially terminated all of their teams that were specifically dedicated to covering issues that involve LGBTQ+, Black, Latino and Asian Americans. This isn’t journalism, it’s fascism dipped in hate.”One user wrote, “So we boycott them, simple.”A left-wing commentator with the name Simone shared a screenshot from her phone indicating she was deleting the NBC News app and wrote, “F— you @NBCNews.”NBC News has long been floated by MSNBC and CNBC, which, though in decline, remain enormously profitable. Now that NBC News — the economics of which are far less salubrious — stands alone, it is starting what informed observers believe will be months and years of steady cutbacks as it right-sizes to meet its new, vastly diminished profile.There may also be political considerations in play. Some users suggested that the move to gut the diversity verticals was an attempt to placate the Trump administration and avoid regulatory scrutiny from the Federal Communications Commission. The various verticals dedicated to covering specific minority groups and communities were launched at various points since 2010. NBC Out, which focused on the LGBTQ community, was launched in 2016 and featured stories about queer and transgender communities. On Wednesday, the vertical published an article about a “gay rodeo” and “queer cowfolks.”Meanwhile, NBC BLK posted an article on X about how black Americans are playing golf and skydiving and embracing “sports that defy stereotypes and bring joy.”NBC claims it will continue to produce coverage of the communities to which it previously devoted entire teams. But the coverage will be part of its overall reporting. One source told the Wrap that the network may keep up to five staffers to contribute to the various verticals that are being wound down.The cuts come as linear television is in decline and major broadcasters are planning cuts across the board to try to lower costs. NBC laid off 40 staffers earlier this year. The corporate parent of CBS News, Paramount Skydance, aims to slash $2 billion across its various properties. Meanwhile, Warner Bros. Discovery is planning to spin off its struggling cable business, including CNN, from its lucrative streaming and studios business, and it is expected that the cable properties will see harsh cuts. Several news outlets in America have also cut back on their diversity-focused jobs. A study conducted by NiemanLab found that roughly 34 percent of jobs in journalism that were specifically connected to race created between 2020 and 2022 — during the so-called racial reckoning in the aftermath of the death of George Floyd — have been eliminated. Despite the well-known hardships facing broadcast television, commentators are blaming corporate concerns about the current occupant of the White House and a desire to stay out of the federal government’s eyes. President Trump and his administration have sought to use the levers of power to push back on diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, which they say illegally discriminate on the basis of race and sex. In February, the chairman of the FCC, Brendan Carr, said he was investigating NBCUniversal’s diversity policies. Mr. Carr also said his agency is looking into complaints that its national operation has bullied local stations in contract negotiations. During the “racial reckoning,” the NBC News group chief, Cesar Conde, pledged to follow strict racial quotas on hiring as a personal “vow.” Mr. Conde, whose portfolio has been drastically slashed with the spin-off and who came under internal pressure after agreeing to Rachel Maddow’s demands to work one day a week for $30 million a year (recently reduced to $25 million), no longer mentions his diversity vow in public statements.Mr. Trump has repeatedly stated that Mr. Carr should pull NBC’s broadcast license over its critical coverage.However, while the network is the subject of multiple FCC investigations and a frequent target of Mr. Trump’s ire, it has not been subjected to a lawsuit like CBS News or ABC News.In December, ABC News agreed to pay $16 million to settle Mr. Trump’s defamation lawsuit after the network’s star host, George Stephanopoulos, falsely and repeatedly claimed the president had been “found liable for rape.” And in July, Paramount agreed to pay $16 million to settle Mr. Trump’s lawsuit against CBS over its editing of Vice President Kamala Harris’s October 2024 interview with “60 Minutes.”Mr. Trump has threatened to sue NBC News over its coverage. In April, he claimed that NBC was trying to “stay away from lawsuits by disassociating” from MSNBC, though he said the plot “won’t work.”NBC did not respond to the Sun’s request for comment by the time of publication.

NBC News Faces Harsh Liberal Backlash for ‘Transforming Into MAGA State Media’ After It Lays Off Its Diversity Reporters

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