A GoFundMe organized to help eight Fresno Bee employees pay bills and urgent living expenses following planned layoffs has raised $4,395 toward a $6,000 goal.

The fundraiser, organized by Fresno Bee reporter Thaddeus Miller, had received 36 donations as of Thursday morning. The money will be divided among the eight employees affected by the layoffs.

According to the fundraiser, the Fresno Bee Guild learned Sept. 10 that six reporters, a photojournalist, and an editor would be laid off within several weeks, representing nearly half of the newspaper’s staff.

The fundraiser said some of the affected employees have children, spouses, or others who depend on their income, while others are losing their sole source of income.

The journalists have spent years or decades covering the San Joaquin Valley, including local government, police accountability, schools, development, and underserved communities, according to the fundraiser.

The organizer said employees have continued working in local journalism despite what the fundraiser described as low pay from McClatchy, The Bee’s owner, leaving some without substantial savings as they search for new jobs.

“We still have that fervor for local journalism,” the fundraiser states.

A separate GoFundMe organized by EdSource reporter Emma Gallegos is raising money for at least a dozen journalists laid off from The Fresno Bee, The Stockton Record, and The Modesto Bee. That fundraiser is intended to help cover housing, food, medical costs, and other living expenses.

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