NBC News has laid off about 150 employees, roughly 7 percent of its newsroom, and dissolved its dedicated editorial teams covering Black, Latino, Asian American, and LGBTQ+ communities, according to The Wrap. The Advocateconfirmed the firings through a source who was affected by the cuts.

The move is part of a reorganization that separates MSNBC from NBC News under a new entity called Versant. Executives described the decision as an efficiency measure to eliminate overlap and streamline operations across NBCUniversal’s news division. But it also dismantles the network’s identity-based teams: NBC BLK, NBC Latino, NBC Asian America, and NBC Out.

NBC News confirmed that while some roles were eliminated, its specialized reporting units, or “verticals,” will continue operating and draw on contributions from the wider newsroom. Several affected staffers are being reassigned to other editorial positions, where their expertise would be applied, according to a person familiar with the restructuring. 

Stories about those communities will now be integrated into the more general daily reporting. Critics, however, warn that such integration often results in fewer stories and diminished focus on marginalized voices.

Rich Ferraro, GLAAD’s chief communications officer and an executive producer of the GLAAD Media Awards, called the move “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.” He added that “the talented journalists at NBC Out consistently lead with impact and accuracy,” noting that the vertical’s reporting had “earned the trust of LGBTQ Americans and our allies to report on news with care, precision, and impact.”

“This is a terrible and poorly-timed loss for journalism and for our democracy,” Ferraro said, urging support for LGBTQ journalists whose work “our community and companies and foundations should urgently help fund.”

NBC Out most recently received a GLAAD Media Award for “Friends Remember Nex Benedict, Oklahoma Student Who Died After School Fight, as ‘Fiery Kid,’”reported by Jo Yurcaba.

The change arrives after a period of turbulence within NBC and its affiliates, as MSNBC began being spun off into its own entity. In February, Rachel Maddowpublicly rebuked MSNBC’s leadership for canceling programs hosted by Joy Reid and Alex Wagner, both of whom are nonwhite. Maddow condemned the network for eliminating its nonwhite prime-time hosts, calling the move “indefensible” and voicing deep concern for staff and morale. 

In May, MSNBC, which will be rebranded MS NOW, launched The Weekend show featuring Jonathan Capehart, Eugene Daniels, and Jackie Alemany—Capehart and Daniels being out gay Black men—raising expectations for new paths in diversity and inclusion in mainstream cable news. Now, the dismantling of the identity desks at NBC Universal, MSNBC’s former parent company, stands in stark contrast to that recent momentum.

NBC Out, launched in 2016, was the first major broadcast vertical devoted to LGBTQ+ issues and helped bring national attention to queer and trans lives beyond Pride Month. Similarly, NBC BLK, NBC Latino, and NBC Asian America provided nuanced reporting on race, culture, and representation that rarely appeared elsewhere in network news.

The layoffs reflect a broader contraction in U.S. media, where outlets are cutting diversity and identity desks amid economic strain and political backlash against diversity, equity, and inclusion programs. Gannett, Disney, and Condé Nast have made similar reductions in recent months.

NBC has not publicly commented beyond confirming the reorganization.