Gawker announces layoffs as the publication turns to politics
The media organization’s leaders sent lengthy memos explaining its new direction, but staff members had already complained about being fired callously.
On Tuesday, Gawker Media announced that it would cut seven full-time editorial positions at Gawker, Jezebel and Gizmodo, along with at least eight freelance positions.
The layoffs are part of a new strategy; Gawker is rebranding itself as a news and politics publication. Jezebel will cover celebrity and entertainment news. Gawker also announced it would hire six new editors to make its vision a reality.
The layoffs weren’t well received, partially because the staff members cut were summoned to a conference room via a direct message, and then saw that they were deleted from the organization’s internal messaging platform, Slack.
Several former employees took to Twitter to vent their frustration:
Gawker colleagues find out who’s been laid off as they’re kicked off Slack https://t.co/0Y3c8H5t8o via @ericsundy pic.twitter.com/CEQHatgX2o
— Mark Di Stefano (@MarkDiStef) November 17, 2015
haha anybody hiring?
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