Jezebel shutting down

Jezebel, the popular feminist news and opinion website, is shutting down after more than a decade online, G/O Media told employees Thursday.

In a note sent to staffers and obtained by The Hill, CEO Jim Spanfeller said the company made “the very, very difficult decision” to suspend publication of the site. 

“Few decisions over the course of my career have been as excruciating, and I want to make clear this is in NO WAY a reflection on the Jezebel editorial team,” Spanfeller said.

“Unfortunately, our business model and the audiences we serve across our network did not align with Jezebel’s,” he added. “And when that became clear, we undertook an expansive search for a new, perhaps better home that might ensure Jezebel a path forward.”

Spanfeller cited “some of the macroeconomic news that has been trickling out over the last month or so,” as a reason for the decision, pointing to high interest rates and global crises. The decision will affect some two dozen journalists across the company, he said.

“The US economy is expanding but the usual increase in marketing dollars that goes along with these types of numbers have not materialized,” he said. “While G/O Media is a lean, nimble organization, we are not immune to the economic headwinds rattling our business.”

G/O Media is just the latest in a slew of news organizations that have announced planned buyouts and layoffs as companies across the industry attempt to cut costs.

Conde Nast announced earlier this month it was cutting 250 jobs, and the Washington Post is currently offering buyouts across its newsroom as it looks to slash more than 200 jobs.