The publication Jezebel got shut down today. The digital feminist outlet focused on stories that impact women around the world. Their parent company G/O Media cut ties because of financial reasons. This resulted in the lay off 23 staffers, including the entire Jezebel staff.
Jezebel has lived on the internet for 16 years. Feminist writers freely expressed themselves as they covered topics ranging from politics to celebrity news. Although their last story focused on the SAG-AFTRA strike, there are over 90 comments of readers expressing their sadness about the end of Jezebel.
Some USC community members were readers of Jezebel. Like Annenberg’s Adjunct Social Media Coach, Shreen Khan, who shared her reaction to the shutdown.
Shreen Khan: I first I was shocked to hear that Jezebel was shutting down, and I think it speaks to the broader complication in media that we don’t have sustainable funding sources. So when reporting and newsrooms rely on ads entirely, then it makes it a really unstable ground.
With the loss of a feminist publication, journalists fear that this could be precedence for other feminist publications.
Shreen Khan: I think in a post society it sucks because there’s another place that we can’t turn to for coverage, and I think we see a lot of women’s content kind of. Pushed to these two like single narrative sources. And then when we lose it, it just feels like there is an even greater the space is shrinking, even greater.
Current students, such as Grace Harrington are already feeling the impact of the publication shutdown.
Grace Harrington: I know there have been a lot of cuts this year, and this is definitely a loss, especially for people who want to get into that specific section of journalism.
This up and coming journalist reflects how this change may affect her career.
Grace Harrington: It’s not great. There are hopefully other women’s publications that can kind of take take up that space.
With Jezebel’s departure, student journalists have found the need to create their own space. To produce the coverage that they want to see in their media representation. And carry on Jezebel’s mission to bring new meaning to “Sex. Celebrity. Politics. With Teeth”
For Annenberg Media, I’m Susan Nyirenda.