00:03It's not often you see a major news network quietly shut down entire editorial teams that focus on race, identity, and gender,
00:10and then try to spin it as business as usual.
00:14NBC slashed 150 newsroom jobs, about 7% of its editorial staff, just as the company is prepping for a major shake-up.
00:23Controversially, among those cut were entire teams focusing on Black, Latino, Asian American, and LGBTQ plus stories.
00:31Yes, you heard that right.
00:33Critics are expressing concerns.
00:35GLAAD warned these cuts remove trusted journalists from platforms claiming to serve diverse audiences.
00:41Their spokesperson called it a terrible and poorly timed loss for journalism and democracy.
00:48Because this didn't happen in a vacuum.
00:49The layoffs come just as NBC's parent company, Comcast, is spinning off MSNBC and CNBC into a new public company called Versant Media Group.
01:00That means massive restructuring, belt-tightening, and, if the trend holds, a whole lot of corporate jargon about streamlining and focusing on brand strength.
01:09But let's be real.
01:11When newsrooms talk about streamlining, they rarely mean upper management is taking a pay cut.
01:16Instead, it's the same story across big media.
01:20Flashy promises about diversity when trendy, followed by cutbacks when finances tighten.
01:25NBC claims it will still cover underrepresented communities, likely by reallocating a few reporters.
01:32Yet, without dedicated teams, such stories often remain untold.
01:37Now consider the recent cuts to NBC's graphics team and media layoffs elsewhere.
01:42You start seeing the picture.
01:44The media industry is rapidly changing due to shrinking ad dollars and thriving streaming.
01:50Yet, if these voices were essential, why were they the first out the door?
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