SYDNEY, Australia — Staff members at The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, among the most powerful voices in the Australian news media, began a weeklong strike on Wednesday over job cuts at Fairfax Media.

The walkout reflects the strains afflicting Australia’s news media, which faces the same digital challenges hurting the industry in the United States and other places.

On Wednesday morning, the company sent an email to staff members saying it would cut 125 full-time positions at The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age in Melbourne, with cuts also expected at The Australian Financial Review. Last month, Fairfax management said that the company would need to trim 30 million Australian dollars, or about $22.5 million, representing nearly one-quarter of its editorial budget.

In his email to staff members on Wednesday, Sean Aylmer, the editorial director at Fairfax Media, said that all editorial sections could be affected but that some jobs would be hit especially hard.