Jezebel Writers Blame Owner’s “Strategic and Commercial Ineptitude” for Shutdown of Site

Caitlin Huston
·2 min read
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Writers at Jezebel are striking back at G/O Media after the company decided to shut down the feminist news site and lay off its employees.

The writers, who are members of Writers Guild of America East, said they are “devastated though hardly surprised” at the decision, citing CEO Jim Spanfeller’s “inability to run our website.” The writers also lay the blame on G/O Media, which owns Jezebel and other sites including Gizmodo and The Onion, and its reliance on an ad-supported media model.

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“We are devastated though hardly surprised at G/O Media and Jim Spanfeller’s inability to run our website and their cruel decision to shutter it. Jezebel has been a pillar of fearless journalism and important cultural commentary since 2007 and made an indelible mark on the media landscape. The closure of Jezebel also underscores fundamental flaws in the ad-supported media model where concerns about ‘brand safety’ limit monetizing content about the biggest, most important stories of the day — stories that create huge traffic because people read and share them. A well-run company would have moved away from an advertising model, but instead they are shuttering the brand entirely because of their strategic and commercial ineptitude. Jezebel was a good website,” the statement reads.

Private Equity firm Great Hill Partners acquired the Gizmodo Media Group from Univision in 2019, in addition to The Onion. Univision had originally acquired the former Gawker Media publications for $135 million in August 2016.

G/O Media Inc. was formed from the sale and also includes Deadspin, Lifehacker and The Root. Spanfeller was appointed to run the group, which later acquired Quartz. The company had been trying to sell Jezebel as of last month, according to media reports.

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