G/O Media lays off journalists, including Linda Codega

T

Tun Kai Poh

Hero
Well, Linda Codega, the acclaimed newcomer journalist who gave us our in-depth look into Hasbro's OGL scandal, has been laid off together with 22 others at G/O Media. Gizmodo and The Onion were also affected, and longrunning women's news site Jezebel was shut down altogether.

G/O has been increasingly uninterested in human journalism lately, as it dabbled with AI articles in the past year and has been making other cuts to its editorial staff. So while these layoffs came without warning effective immediately, the writing was on the wall...

Codega's own words:

Variety coverage:
variety.com

Jezebel Shutting Down, Parent Company G/O Media Laying Off 23 Staffers

After more than 16 years, Jezebel, the sharp-edged feminist news and opinion website, is shutting down, G/O Media told employees.
variety.com variety.com

Here's hoping Codega finds a new position somewhere where their voice can continue to report on geeky gaming!
 

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darjr

darjr

I crit!
Jezebel was a good website. Our statement:


Jezebel was a good website. Our statement:



GMG Union Statement on Today's Layoffs Today, with no warning, G/O Media laid off 23 people across multiple outlets, including; Deadspin, Gizmodo, io9, Jalopnik, Jezebel, Kotaku, The Onion, The Onion Art Department, and Quartz. These layoffs are cruel and entirely preventable. Jezebel, which has been a pillar of fearless journalism and important cultural commentary since 2007, was shut down entirely. G/O Media management failed to undertake the range of cost cutting options it had -like furloughs, voluntary reduced hours, staff buyouts, and executive pay cuts--before laying off employees. Some of these layoffs come immediately after sites have made other hires for the same pay rate, raising questions about whether the layoffs had any forethought or were merely done at the whims of a capricious CEO.
GG Union Statement on Today's Layoffs It is particularly egregious that G/O Media chose to lay off journalists whose skills and beats are so valuable to the current political and cultural moment. By laying off writers and investigative reporters who focus on bodily autonomy, technology, climate change, and culture, the company has left itself unprepared to deal with the biggest stories of our modern world- stories that require a deft, knowledgeable hand in reporting. These cuts affect not only our network, but every reader who relied on this expert coverage to understand their own changing rights and place within the world.

GMG Union Statement on Today's Layoffs The layoffs, and specifically the closure of Jezebel, also underscore fundamental flaws in the ad-supported media model, where concerns about brand safety limit supporting content about the biggest, most important stories of the day stories that generate enormous traffic because people read and share them. Rather than rethink this model, G/0 management has decided to shutter the brand entirely because of its strategic and commercial ineptitude. Jezebel was a good website, and the journalists who worked there were exemplary, brilliant, and deserved better than to have their site shuttered with no warning. Each of the journalists affected were experts in their beat, and have worked for years to develop their voice and skills. They did not deserve to be arbitrarily laid off due to restructuring when options remained available to G/0 Media. Some of the journalists affected include:

Jezebel Kady Ruth Ashcraft @kady ruth kadyruth@gmail.com Kylie Cheung @kylietcheung kyliec515@gmail.com Caitlin Cruz @CaitlinRCruz caitlinrcruz@protonmail.com Audra Heinrichs @audraheinrichs audraheinrichs16@gmail.com Rich Juzwiak @richjuz richjuz@gmail.com Susan Rinkunas @susanrinkunas susanrinkunaswrites@gmail.com Lauren Tousignant @L tousignant Lauren.tousignant@gmail.com Jalopnik Kyle Hyatt @kylejhyatt info@kylehyatt.com Gizmodo Mack DeGeurin @mackdegeurin mack.degeurin@gmail.com Nikki Main @nlmain1 nikkimain15@gmail.com Angely Mercado amercado92@gmail.com io9 Linda Codega @lincodega Ihcodega@gmail.com Kotaku Ashley Bardhan @ashleybardhan ashleybardhan@gmail.com Isaiah Colbert @shineyezehuhh eyezehuhh@gmail.com
 


aco175

aco175

Legend
I see one of the pictures saying that they had no warning about being laid off and the other article says they tried to sell it off first. It is always personal when someone looses their job, but maybe they tried. Not sure how hard but leaving the option there.
 


Snarf Zagyg

Snarf Zagyg

Notorious Liquefactionist
Welp. This was sad, yet inevitable.

There was a time, long ago, when the Gawker (yes, that's what it was) collection of websites not only produced cutting-edge (and occasionally bleeding-edge) journalism and journalism-like substance, but also supported a thriving community.

And then, thanks to the lawfare that was bankrolled by Peter Thiel (if you aren't familiar with it, you can google it), that period came to a crashing end. From the (relatively) benign negligence of Univision, to the ... less than benign ownership of their current owners (the less said, the better), the writing has been on the wall for some time.

All good things come to end. Heck, I can still remember suck.com (link goes to wikipedia description, do NOT enter the url into your browser, because it's been co-opted by someone else).
 

L

Lord Shark

Adventurer
Note that many of the journalists who have been laid off by G/O in the past have gone on to set up creator-owned, subscription-based news sites -- e.g., the Deadspin refugees created Defector, Kotaku writers have created Aftermath, and some Jalopnik alumni now write at The Autopian. So if you had writers you enjoyed at those sites, it's worth looking them up.
 



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