[ad_1]
The parent company of the website Jezebel announced Thursday that it would close the site and lay off its staff, citing economic headwinds and shifting public priorities.
The layoffs will affect 23 people, including the Jezebel team, G/O Media CEO Jim Spanfeller said in a memo to company employees. He also announced that G/O Media’s editor-in-chief Merrill Brown would be leaving the company.
“While G/O Media is a lean, agile organization, we are not immune to the economic headwinds impacting our business,” Mr. Spanfeller wrote.
“Unfortunately, our business model and the audience we serve through our network did not match that of Jezebel,” he added.
Mr Spanfeller said G/O Media had tried to sell Jezebel and had spoken to “more than 20 potential buyers” but had not found a new home for the site.
He added that “longer term, we will add new positions with updated or perhaps new goals in mind.”
Jezebel was launched in 2007 by Anna Holmes, its first editor-in-chief, as part of Gawker Media, and quickly established itself as a leader in publishing feminist commentary and articles focused on issues affecting women. The writers were known for their snappy prose and quirky story angles.
Jezebel sparked discussions about gender, sexism and power, which have since become a bigger part of the mainstream conversation.
G/O Media owns and operates several digital media channels, including Gizmodo, Quartz and Deadspin.
This is a development story.
