Current:Home > BackJezebel's parent company shuts down feminist news website after 16 years-DB Wealth Institute B2 Expert Reviews
Jezebel's parent company shuts down feminist news website after 16 years
View Date:2024-12-23 23:50:44
Feminist news website Jezebel is permanently shutting down after 16 years driving coverage and commentary on women's issues.
Parent company G/O Media announced the publication's suspension and the layoffs of 23 staff members including the entire Jezebel’s team. In a memo to staff, CEO Jim Spanfeller said the layoffs were part of a restructuring plan to make up for economic challenges within a brutal digital advertising environment.
"While G/O Media is a lean, nimble organization, we are not immune to the economic headwinds rattling our business," Spanfeller wrote . "Unfortunately, our business model and the audiences we serve across our network did not align with Jezebel’s."
Spanfeller said that the shutdown was not a reflection on the Jezebel editorial team who have excelled at meeting company goals.
What IBM 401(k) change means?Goodbye match, hello retirement benefit account
'Changed the game'
"I haven't given up on Jezebel. Media is nothing if not resilient. So are its practitioners. I will keep you apprised if circumstances change," Spanfeller added. "I want to thank the site's team both past and present for their dedication, fearless voices and indelible contributions to our culture. You changed the game."
In August, Laura Bassett resigned from her role as editor-in-chief due to issues with G/O Media. She wrote on X (formerly Twitter) that the outlet's parent company "refused to treat my staff with basic human decency."
"I’m obviously boiling and have too much to say on this subject," Bassett wrote on X regarding the site's shutdown on Thursday. "But for now I’ll just say my heart is with the entire Jez staff who just got laid off, including incredible abortion reporters at a time when the beat couldn’t be more relevant to national politics. Please hire them."
'Totally unprecedented'
Since the outlet's launch in 2007, Jezebel has propelled coverage over women's issues including the #MeToo movement and the overturning of Roe v. Wade last year.
Kate Cox, program director for Poynter’s Leadership Academy for Women in Media, has praised the site's approach to covering broad topics from abortion and body shaming to the fashion industry.
"It was totally unprecedented. Their blend of pop culture along with whip-smart writing made it a daily read,” Cox said. “It took women’s issues out of a niche brand and embraced the real pragmatic experience of women’s lives. It captured the dynamic but also captured the despair and the hard swallow and the cheeky energy that the women I knew at the time had."
Jezebel is the latest in digital media websites to close. Vice Media is amidst a restructuring period after filing for bankruptcy in June and Buzzfeed News shut down production in April.
MSG Sphere quarter report:Las Vegas venue reveals nearly $100 million loss in latest quarter soon after CFO resigns
veryGood! (48)
Related
- Advocacy group sues Tennessee over racial requirements for medical boards
- Biden administration warns it will take action if Texas does not stop blocking federal agents from U.S. border area
- Conflict, climate change and AI get top billing as leaders converge for elite meeting in Davos
- 4 dead, 1 critically hurt in Arizona hot air balloon crash
- 10 Trendy Bags To Bring to All of Your Holiday Plans
- Small plane crash kills 3 in North Texas, authorities say; NTSB opens investigation
- NFL schedule today: Everything to know about playoff games on Jan. 15
- Nick Saban's daughter Kristen Saban Setas reflects on his retirement as Alabama coach
- Sister Wives’ Madison Brush Details Why She Went “No Contact” With Dad Kody Brown
- Horoscopes Today, January 13, 2024
Ranking
- Week 10 fantasy football rankings: PPR, half-PPR and standard leagues
- Lions fans boo Matthew Stafford in QB's highly anticipated return to Detroit
- Rewind It Back to the 2003 Emmys With These Star-Studded Photos
- Critics Choice Awards 2024: The Complete Winners List
- 2 more escaped monkeys recaptured and enjoying peanut butter and jelly sandwiches in South Carolina
- A new 'purpose': On 2024 MLK Day of Service, some say volunteering changed their life
- Pope acknowledges resistance to same-sex blessings but doubles down: ‘The Lord blesses everyone’
- Ryan Gosling says acting brought him to Eva Mendes in sweet speech: 'Girl of my dreams'
Recommendation
-
The boy was found in a ditch in Wisconsin in 1959. He was identified 65 years later.
-
Monster Murders: Inside the Controversial Fascination With Jeffrey Dahmer
-
Naomi Osaka's Grand Slam comeback ends in first-round loss at Australian Open
-
Rewind It Back to the 2003 Emmys With These Star-Studded Photos
-
2 Florida women charged after shooting death of photographer is livestreamed
-
Tunisia commemorates anniversary of the 2011 revolution. Opposition decries democratic backsliding
-
Denmark’s Queen Margrethe abdicates from the throne, son Frederik X becomes king
-
'True Detective' Jodie Foster knew pro boxer Kali Reis was 'the one' to star in Season 4