Recent McClatchy layoffs (announced around September 10, 2026; effective roughly October 9–11/12, 2026) hit the Tacoma News Tribune hard as part of cuts of more than 90 staffers across about 17 publications.
The Pacific Northwest Newspaper Guild reported that seven unionized positions were cut across four Washington papers (News Tribune, Olympian, Bellingham Herald, and Tri-City Herald), with the bulk affecting the News Tribune. Several non-union staff (including editors) were also laid off. The paper lost dedicated coverage of Tacoma City Hall/Pierce County government/schools, strong local and investigative reporting, and significant sports capacity.
Named journalists confirmed as laid off
These have been publicly identified by the individuals themselves, news reports, or the union:
Gregg Bell — Longtime NFL/Seahawks beat writer (21 years with McClatchy). He publicly said his final day at the News Tribune was amid the cuts that slashed roughly 40% of staff in his account. He is also a midday host on 93.3 KJR.
Isha Trivedi — Reporter covering Tacoma City Hall, Pierce County government, and schools. She noted the loss of dedicated coverage for those beats and concerns about election and accountability reporting.
Puneet Bsanti — East Pierce County reporter (covering areas including Sumner, Eatonville, and Orting). She had been at the paper about three years (starting as a breaking-news reporter) and highlighted risks of a local “news desert.”
Shea Johnson — Senior investigative reporter (also covering civil courts). He described the impact of the cuts, noting he was the paper’s primary investigative reporter and that remaining staff would be stretched thinner. His last day was around October 9.
Tyler Wicke — Sports reporter (nearly eight years covering South Sound sports, including high school). He announced his final day was October 11, 2026.
Union statements also referenced the loss of Washington’s sports reporter of the year (twice) after decades at McClatchy, plus an award-winning investigative reporter who had done deep accountability work (including on issues in Tacoma). These align with the named people above (particularly Bell and Johnson).
A complete official list of every individual has not been publicly released by McClatchy or the paper in the available reporting. Coverage gaps highlighted include the absence of a dedicated city-hall/county/schools reporter and thinner sports and investigative capacity. The cuts followed earlier contract tensions (including a one-day strike in May 2026 over pay and AI protections) and are part of broader industry pressures on local newsrooms owned by private equity/hedge-fund interests (Chatham Asset Management in McClatchy’s case).
Sources include reporting from the Seattle Times, Northwest Public Broadcasting, the NewsGuild, Barrett Media, Court Watch, and public statements from the affected journalists.
