United States: CFWIJ denounces Huffington Post’s layoff of 47 employees, including women journalists

March 10, 2021— Huffington Post laid off 47 of its staffers just a month into its acquisition by Buzzfeed. Several employees were invited to attend a virtual meeting where they were informed about the decision. The majority of the fired staff are journalists, including several accomplished women reporters. The announcement came as a surprise, with no forewarning prior to the harsh move from Buzzfeed’s executive. The closure of the Huffington Post's entire Canadian edition was announced in the same meeting. Jonah Peretti, CEO of Buzzfeed, shared that the cutbacks are intended to fast-track the path of profitability. CFWIJ is concerned by the capitalist leadership that has blatantly disregarded the value of these well-respected journalists. We rebuke the reckless decision of firing talented and experienced staff, especially women journalists.

In an unfortunate move by Buzzfeed, 47 Huffington Post staffers were fired from their job. On Tuesday, the employees were invited to a virtual meeting and informed about the layoffs. The staff was told if they did not receive an email by 1 p.m., they are still employed. The drastic step was taken just a month after the acquisition of Huffington Post by Buzzfeed. Jenna Amatulli, a senior editor at Huffington Post, shared the list of fired staff in a Twitter thread, “A thread of incomparable reporters laid off from HuffPost today who you, an esteemed media organization, should scoop up immediately”. Kim Bhasin, a correspondent at Bloomberg, also shared his sentiments regarding the decision. He said on Twitter, “BuzzFeed laid off many of the longest-tenured staff at HuffPost. They stayed through all the regimes and created something great despite the endless BS. People like @emmaladyrose, @EmilyRPeck, @rklein90, @quasimado, @ClaireEFallon & @RealGirlProject – They built that newsroom.”

BuzzFeed laid off many of the longest-tenured staff at HuffPost. They stayed through all the regimes and created something great despite the endless BS.

People like @emmaladyrose, @EmilyRPeck, @rklein90, @quasimado, @ClaireEFallon & @RealGirlProject – They built that newsroom. https://t.co/RbLCUi4zAU
— Kim Bhasin (@KimBhasin) March 9, 2021

Following the announcement, HuffPost executive Hillary Frey and executive editor Louise Rogue will have to quit their job along with several of their female reporters. CEO Jonah Peretti also announced the closure of the entire Canadian Huffington Post operation. The company has warned about coming cutbacks in its UK and Australian operations.

HuffPost Canada shared on Twitter, “HuffPost Canada consistently punched above our weight and did vital, important journalism in Canada. We stand in solidarity with our colleagues in the U.S. and the U.K. who are experiencing layoffs of their own. It is a sad day for journalism.” The HuffPost Union also stood in solidarity with the laid-off staff and issued a statement, “We are devastated and infuriated, particularly after an exhausting year of covering a pandemic and working from home. We never got a fair shot to prove our worth.”

Today, we learned that 33 of our unit members — nearly 30% of our unit — are being laid off. Our union's statement: "We are devastated and infuriated, particularly after an exhausting year of covering a pandemic and working from home." (1/x) pic.twitter.com/xphgR3F8UI
— HuffPost Union (@HuffPostUnion) March 9, 2021

The Coalition For Women In Journalism is saddened by the decision and stands in solidarity with the dismissed staff. We consider this decision inconsiderate to the respected and accomplished women journalists. We are particularly distressed for the women journalists who have lost their jobs. Given the challenging industry that, research shows, has become increasingly difficult for women journalists, finding work amidst a pandemic is a daunting task.

The list of women journalists who were expelled: