Media industry loses about 1,000 jobs as layoffs hit news organizationshttps://www.cnn.com/2019/01/24/media/media-layoffs-buzzfeed-huffpost-gannett/index.htmlNew York (CNN Business)About a decade ago, traditional news organizations faced an emerging threat from a host of digital upstarts, outlets that provided the news immediately, online and for free. Today, a new threat seemingly looms over the entire industry, as one reckoning after another comes for both print and digital shops alike.
This week reaffirmed just how dire things have gotten within the industry, with about 1,000 jobs in media lost as the result of layoffs announced at BuzzFeed, HuffPost and Gannett — the nation's largest newspaper chain.
BuzzFeed announced Wednesday that it would lay off 15% of its workforce, or about 220 employees; Verizon announced it would cut 7% or approximately 800 jobs from its media division, which includes brands like HuffPost, AOL and Yahoo News; and Gannett slashed dozens of jobs at newspapers across the country.
The severity of the cuts at Gannett came to light through various media reports and as journalists who were laid off tweeted out the news. The Poynter Institute's website, which in part provides news coverage of the journalism industry, noted in a story that "the cuts were not minor" and affected well-known journalists, including a 1993 Pulitzer Prize winning cartoonist.
What a shame....