Liberal watchdog Media Issues fired no less than a dozen staffers Thursday — and administration and a few of the laid-off journalists blamed X proprietor Elon Musk for the cuts.
The billionaire mogul sued the Washington, DC-based nonprofit group for defamation last November, accusing the corporate of producing pictures exhibiting ads from main corporations alongside posts made by white supremacists and neo-Nazis.
The lawsuit led to federal probes by Republican Attorneys Basic Ken Paxton of Texas and Andrew Bailey of Missouri into the outlet for doable fraudulent exercise by allegedly manipulating knowledge on the positioning previously often known as Twitter.
Media Issues didn’t instantly return requests for remark however its president Angelo Carusone launched a press release on Thursday relating to the layoffs.
“We’re confronting a authorized assault on a number of fronts and given how quickly the media panorama is shifting, we must be extraordinarily intentional about how we allocate assets with the intention to keep efficient,” Carusone mentioned.
“No person does what Media Issues does. So, we’re taking this motion now to make sure that we’re sustainable, sturdy and profitable for no matter lies forward.”
Ousted staffers took to social media Thursday to announce their sudden dismissal, with one having notably harsh phrases for Musk.
“Unhealthy Information: I’ve been laid off from @mmfa, together with a dozen colleagues. There’s a motive far-right billionaires assault Media Issues with armies of attorneys: They understand how efficient our work is, and it terrifies them (him),” Kat Abughazaleh wrote.
The Put up reached out to Musk for remark.
Different longtime Media Issues journalists lamented the layoffs.
“After almost 4 years of working at media issues, I received laid off,” wrote a staffer named Beatrice. “So if anybody is in search of researchers with video expertise, drop a line.”
“Journalism milestone achieved (received laid off),” now-former Media Issues author Bobby Lewis added.
“Layoffs at Media Issues right this moment. Plenty of good individuals accessible for jobs now,” said Jared Holt, a senior researcher on the Institute of Strategic Dialogue.
On the time of the Musk lawsuit, Carusone referred to as it “meritless” and identified that “main manufacturers” are “rightly skittish of partnering” with the social media platform.
The swimsuit — which was filed in federal courtroom in Fort Price, Texas — continues to be winding by the judicial system.
assertion about layoffs on the outlet. X/Angelo Carusone
Media Issues’ purge is the newest in a slew of layoffs within the trade — and notably at liberal retailers.
NowThis laid off half of its editorial group in February as a part of a “broader initiative to realign our assets and construction to make sure a long-term sustainable enterprise within the evolving media panorama,” The Each day Caller first reported.
The Intercept additionally laid off 15 staffers, together with its editor in chief Roger Hodge, on the identical day. Final month, The New York Instances reported that the news site co-founded by Glenn Greenwald is running low on cash and that it’s in peril of closing subsequent yr.
