Plenty of media links for your weekend review, but let’s start with the latest from The New York Times.
This comes as no surprise, but the union representing the journalists at The New York Times has filed a grievance against the paper over its planned sports coverage.
The Times announced earlier this month that it was closing its sports section and would use The Athletic, which it purchased in 2022, to cover sports. The sportswriters at the Times are in the union, while The Athletic is not unionized.
The union sees it as union-busting: eliminating a sports section and replacing the coverage with nonunion writers. The sportswriters at the Times will not lose their jobs, but they are expected to be absorbed into other positions in the newsroom.
In a statement, the union said, “The Times Guild has jurisdiction over journalism jobs at The Times, yet the company is claiming it has the right to subcontract to itself and have nonunion workers do union work without the same job protections, wages and other benefits we have fought so hard to secure. These claims are preposterous on their face and a brazen attempt at union-busting.”
The Washington Post’s Ben Strauss has more details.
Strauss wrote, “The Times has 20 days to respond to the grievance. If they deny it, which is expected, the guild then has 45 days to file for an arbitration hearing. The arbitrator could rule that Times sports coverage is guild work, which would mean its sports coverage couldn’t be subcontracted to the Athletic and the Times newsroom would have to produce the Times’s sports coverage. If the arbitrator were to side with the Times, it could set a precedent that the Times can outsource the work of a section to non-guild workers.”
Hearst lays off 41 journalists
For this item, I turn it over to my Poynter colleague, Angela Fu, about more layoffs in journalism.
Hearst Magazines laid off 41 journalists Thursday, according to the union representing those workers.
The union wrote on Twitter that the layoffs were due to “company restructuring.” Journalists from Seventeen and Elle were among those impacted. Hearst Magazines owns more than 25 brands in the U.S., including Cosmopolitan and Esquire.
“We are disappointed and angry that Hearst unilaterally chose to lay off our members instead of coming to the table to explore alternative options,” the union tweeted. “We stand with our colleagues and will support them to the fullest possible extent. As always, when corporate machines chomp through our ligaments, we will take care of our own.”
It is unclear whether Hearst also laid off nonunion journalists. In response to questions about the number of layoffs and the reason for the cuts, a Hearst Magazines spokesperson wrote that the company was trying to position itself for “long-term growth.”
“As we continue to produce the highest-quality content across all platforms, we’re also making strategic decisions that position the business for long-term growth,” the spokesperson wrote in an emailed statement.
The layoffs come at a time of turmoil within the news industry as dozens of outlets make cuts. In the past month alone, ESPN, National Geographic and The Hollywood Reporter have executed layoffs. The San Diego Union-Tribune, which was sold to investment firm Alden Global Capital last week, could see layoffs in the near future if not enough employees take buyouts.
Unionized employees at Hearst Magazines recently signed a contract that contains several protections for laid-off employees. They include notice pay, four weeks minimum severance and a guarantee that laid-off employees who apply for another job at Hearst within six months of their termination will get an interview. Prior to ratifying the contract in May, the union held walkouts and rallies at Hearst offices in protest of lengthy negotiations, which stretched for more than two years.
And now for more media news, tidbits and links for your weekend review …
- As I mentioned in Thursday’s newsletter, student journalists have been in the news (pun intended) lately. The president of Stanford University stepped down this week and the football coach at Northwestern University was fired earlier this month — both because of scandals highlighted by the student newspapers at those schools. The New York Times’ Katie Robertson wrote about it in “University Departures Put Student Journalists in Spotlight.”
- And the San Francisco Chronicle’s Jill Tucker writes about the Stanford student, Theo Baker, who wrote the investigative pieces that led the Stanford president to step down.
- Speaking of Northwestern, The Athletic’s Kalyn Kahler and Brian Hamilton with “How a hazing culture evolved at Northwestern’s Camp Kenosha: ‘There’s a significance to ritual.’”
- Lester Holt will anchor next Monday’s “NBC Nightly News” from Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska. In a press release, NBC News said, “With tensions high with China and Russia, the broadcast will feature exclusive reporting from inside the radar tracking center that serves as one of the nation’s first lines of defense against foreign aircraft and missile threats.”
- The Atlantic’s Gary Shteyngart with “I Watched Russian Television for Five Days Straight.”
- Muck Rack points out, bitingly, the following story is from 2023: Capital B’s Aallyah Wright with “A Black Man Was Elected Mayor in Rural Alabama, but the White Town Leaders Won’t Let Him Serve.”
- Writing about the results from the Pew Research Center, Christopher St. Aubin and Jacob Liedke with “Most Americans favor restrictions on false information, violent content online.”
- The New York Times’ Benjamin Mullin and Nico Grant with “Google Tests A.I. Tool That Is Able to Write News Articles.”
- Also from The New York Times, William K. Rashbaum and Joseph Goldstein (and photographs and video by Johnny Milano) with “The Polygon and the Avalanche: How the Gilgo Beach Suspect Was Found.”
- I really enjoyed how well this was written: For Town and Country, Ariel Schuyler Ehrlich with “Why Jane Birkin Spoke to Gen-Z’ers Like Me.”
- As we get ready for “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer,” here’s a fun piece by The Ringer’s Andrew Gruttadaro: “What Is the Best Day Ever in Hollywood History?”
More resources for journalists
- Subscribe to Poynter’s Friday newsletter, Open Tabs with Poynter managing editor Ren LaForme, and get behind-the-scenes stories only available to subscribers.
- Sign up for Beat Academy (Now-Oct. 19) (Webinar series) — You’ll get tips, sources, inspiration and ideas to cover emerging newsroom beats. Enroll now.
- Executive Leadership Summit (Oct. 2023) (Seminar) — Apply by Aug. 14.
- Power of Diverse Voices: Writing Workshop for Journalists of Color (Nov. 15-18) (Seminar) — Apply by Sept. 15.
Have feedback or a tip? Email Poynter senior media writer Tom Jones at tjones@poynter.org.
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