Jakarta –
Vox Media, publisher of the websites Vox and The Verge and New York Magazine have terminated their employment (layoffs) to 7% of the total employees. There are about 130 people out of 1,900 group staff.
The layoff plan was announced by Chief Executive Jim Bankoff via email and followed by a meeting with HRD to discuss their severance pay. The laid off workers held various positions including editorial.
“The difficult decision to eliminate approximately 7% of our staff across departments due to the challenging economic environment impacting our business and industry,” he wrote in a memo quoted from Channel News Asia, Sunday (22/1/2023).
Meghan McCarron, an award-winning journalist who spent more than 9 years at Eater, a food website owned by Vox Media, tweeted on Friday (20/1) that she was on the list of layoff victims at 37 weeks pregnant.
“My partner and I are so excited to be parents,” McCarron wrote.
A Vox spokesperson said employees were offered a competitive severance package, including additional severance pay for those going on maternity leave in the near future.
Journalists laid off from other organizations in recent weeks have also taken to Twitter to express anger, disappointment or gratitude at their colleagues, while starting to look for new jobs.
“I’ll be thinking about my next steps. I’m a data reporter but I also write and produce,” tweeted Emily Siegel, who was laid off after five years as an investigative reporter at NBC.
“I want to continue doing this work. (Direct messages) I am open,” he added.
(aid/dna)
