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McClatchy has announced that it is closing seven newsrooms across its network of newspapers. Poynter reports that employees in McClatchy newsrooms in Miami; Charlotte; Washington, D.C.; Columbia, SC; and Modesto, Merced and San Luis Obispo, CA will be expected to continue to work from home until sometime in 2021. A statement from the company said that it will exit its leases in those locations and “focus our resources where it matters: on saving jobs and delivering on our mission of producing strong, independent local journalism for the communities that we serve.” The company says it plans to look for new offices next year, but that those newsrooms could be much smaller if its news outlets are successful at publishing remotely.
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| Matt Duckor |
Condé Nast Entertainment has fired Matt Duckor, the head of programming for its style and lifestyle division, following charges of racial bias. Duckor was accused of not featuring people of color in Bon Appétit Test Kitchen videos and either underpaying them or not paying them at all when they did appear. Condé Nast denied that non-white employees are not paid for video appearances. In addition, Bon Appétit editor-in-chief Adam Rapoport stepped down on June 8, after the appearance of a photo of him and his wife on Instagram in which they were dressed in costumes meant to be Puerto Rican. The problems at the company seem to extend all the way to the top, as evidenced by an apology from Vogue editor-in-chief and Condé Nast artistic director Anna Wintour for such “mistakes” as not “finding ways to give space to black editors, writers, photographers, designers” and publishing “hurtful and intolerant” images. “We’ve already started the process of reviewing our practices and over the next week we’ll be bringing forward a plan of action centered on diversity and inclusion,” said Condé Nast Entertainment president Oren Katzeff.
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| Samira Nasr |
Hearst Magazines has named Samira Nasr editor-in-chief of the U.S. edition of Harper's BAZAAR. Nasr, the first black editor-in-chief in the history of the 153-year-old publication, was most recently executive fashion director at Vanity Fair. She was previously fashion director at ELLE and style director for InStyle. Nasr has also styled campaigns for such fashion and beauty brands as Laura Mercier, Tiffany & Co., Tory Burch, Estée Lauder, L’Oréal and Clarins. In her new post, she will oversee content strategy and development across the brand’s print and digital platforms. “Samira’s important voice will continue to evolve the brand’s distinct position as a style touchstone for fashion’s most discerning,” said Hearst Magazines president Troy Young.
CBS News Radio will go off the air on May 22, part of the axe-swinging managerial plan put into play by CBS editor-in-chief Bari Weiss... The Economist, which was first published in 1843, is changing hands. Canadian billionaire Stephen Smith has agreed to acquire a 26.9 percent stake in the publication from Lady Lynn Forester de Rothschild, her family and family foundation... Nexstar Media Group says it has closed its acquisition of TEGNA, the broadcast, digital media and marketing services company that was formed in 2015, when the Gannett Company split into two publicly traded companies.
USA TODAY brings on Jamie Stockwell as VP of news, effective March 30. Stockwell was most recently deputy managing editor of news for the Washington Post... YouTube expands its likeness detection capabilities to a pilot group of government officials, journalists and political candidates... The AP Fund for Journalism adds 50 news organizations to its local news program, bringing the total number of participating newsrooms to 100. 
Versant Media Group, the NBCUniversal cable TV spin-off, today reported its first financial results as 2025 revenues dipped 5.3 percent to $6.7B and standalone EBITDA dropped 9.1 percent to $2.2B.
Trump Media & Technology Group is discussing a spin-off of the Truth Social platform following the expected closing of its $6B merger deal with TAE Technologies... Condé Nast sells off Them, the digital LGBTQ-focused platform it launched in 2017, to Equalpride, publisher of Out, The Advocate, Out Traveler, Health PLUS Wellness and Pride.com... CBS News has parted ways with longevity influencer Peter Attia, one of the 19 contributors that editor-in-chief Bari Weiss brought on as part of her plan to present a wider variety of voices on the platform. 
Symbolic.ai forms a partnership with News Corp to begin using the company’s AI-native publisher platform in the newsrooms of News Corp publications to augment research, writing and publishing... Mediaite launches a newsletter that promises to give readers a summary of—media newsletters... The Fund for American Studies launches the Journalism Excellence Fellowship, a program that will provide promising young journalists the opportunity to work alongside top writers, reporters, and media professionals.
