Fresno Bee cuts 7 reporters and an editor; union cites AI push

Key Takeaways

The Fresno Bee laid off seven reporters and one editor on Sept. 10, 2026.
The union says the newsroom is down to roughly a dozen staffers.
The cuts are part of McClatchy’s nationwide layoffs, reported at about 90 jobs.
The Bee’s union co-chair links the move to a company AI content tool.
Fresno Bee leadership did not respond to questions about what comes next.

"This is a loss for the entire city," Fresno Bee reporter and union co-chair Josh Tehee said Thursday. He counted seven reporters and one editor cut at the paper.

Tehee said the newsroom now sits at around a dozen people to cover Fresno and the county. That is the nut of the story for readers here, fewer reporters on the ground when electeds meet, when court records land, when something breaks after dark.

Outside, it was 104 degrees by midafternoon.

Who was cut

Among those laid off were accountability reporter Melissa Montalvo, City Hall watchdog David Taub, longtime photographer Craig Kohlruss, sports reporter Bryant‑Jon Anteola, and bilingual reporter Maria G. Ortiz‑Briones, according to GVWire. A Bee source told that outlet staff received four‑week notices.

Tehee estimated the Fresno reductions at roughly 30 to 40 percent of the newsroom. Editor Christopher Kirkpatrick did not respond to Fresnoland’s request for comment.

Part of a broader McClatchy cut

The layoffs hit McClatchy newsrooms across the country on Sept. 10. Industry coverage put the total at about 90 positions, including double‑digit losses in Miami, Idaho and Lexington. An internal company email cited a 41 percent drop in consumer revenue over five years, according to GVWire’s reporting.

McClatchy is owned by Chatham Asset Management, a New Jersey hedge fund that took control after the chain’s 2020 bankruptcy.

The AI question

Tehee linked the timing of the cuts to McClatchy’s rollout of a "content scaling agent," a generative AI tool that spins up new pieces from reporters’ existing work. "This round of layoffs come after they have been pushing these AI tools," he said. Which is the concern, he added.

McClatchy introduced the tool across several markets in March. In April, more than 30 Sacramento Bee staffers withheld their bylines rather than attach their names to AI‑assisted pieces, TheWrap reported. The company has said AI work is reviewed by humans, and labeling can vary by paper under union rules.

What it means here

With fewer reporters, gaps open. Fresno City Hall, the supervisors, small city boards across the county, they all produce decisions that affect taxes, policing, water and housing. A newsroom at "roughly a dozen" people will have to choose where to be most nights. And what to miss.

"We are losing positions that I do not think will be replaced within the news landscape," Tehee said. "It’s maybe around 30‑40%."

Central Valley AI is produced by the CVAI Newsdesk team and developed by Kaweah Tech, a regional firm that builds, deploys, and integrates AI solutions for businesses across California's Central Valley.

Source

https://fresnoland.org/2026/09/10/fresno-bee-layoffs-ai-chatbots/