Jun 23, 2020 - Economy & Business

Memo: The New York Times lays off 68 people, mostly in advertising

The New York Times building. Photo: Eduardo MunozAlvarez/VIEWpress/Corbis via Getty Images

The New York Times has laid off 68 people, mostly on its advertising team, the company said in an internal memo to employees Tuesday, obtained by Axios. There were no layoffs in the company's newsroom or opinion sections.

Context: The company alluded to layoffs in its ad sales division in May amid the economic upheaval caused by the novel coronavirus pandemic.

Details: Most of the staff eliminations come from The Times' ad sales team, as well as from its experiential marketing agency Fake Love, which the company previously announced it was closing after its acquisition in 2016, according to a note to staff from Times CEO Mark Thompson and COO Meredith Levien that went out late Tuesday.

  • According to the memo, the company has created a special package to support departing employees that includes a minimum of 16 weeks of severance and medical benefits, a $6,000 payment to help with job transition costs, such as a new laptop or COBRA expenses, and six months of outplacement services.

Be smart: In the memo, Thompson and Levien concede that while the cuts are driven by the pandemic, they also "reflect long-term trends in our business and are fully consistent with the company’s strategy."

  • The Times in recent years has transitioned most of its revenue from corporate advertising to consumer subscriptions.
  • The company said during its first quarter earnings report in May that it saw more than a half-million new subscribers — roughly double the amount of net new subscriptions that it typically sees in any given quarter.
  • But it also conceded that despite the fact that more people are hungry for news, the company expected to bring in less ad revenue this quarter due to the pandemic.

The big picture: Dozens of publishers have had to take drastic measures, including layoffs, pay cuts and furloughs, to survive the advertising losses driven by corporate uncertainty related to the coronavirus.

  • The New York Times was one of the first major publishers to concede in a government filing in March that it expected global advertising revenue to be down.

Go deeper: NYT reports record new subscriptions, warns of major ad losses

Go deeper

Sara Fischer
Jun 25, 2020 - Technology

Facebook faces trust crisis as ad boycott grows

Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios

What started out as a few whispers about advertisers pulling Facebook ads has turned into a growing boycott of the social network over its content moderation policies — a situation the company is now describing as a "trust deficit."

Why it matters: Given Facebook's size, the boycott likely won't hurt the company's bottom line in the short term, but it turns up the political pressure on Facebook ahead of the 2020 election and underscores the company's challenges managing its public image.

Go deeper (3 min. read)Arrow
Axios
Updated 5 mins ago - Politics & Policy

Coronavirus dashboard

Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios

  1. Global: Total confirmed cases as of 7 a.m. ET: 11,288,094 — Total deaths: 531,244 — Total recoveries — 6,075,489 — Map.
  2. U.S.: Total confirmed cases as of 7 a.m. ET: 2,839,917 — Total deaths: 129,676 — Total recoveries: 894,325 — Total tested: 34,858,427 — Map.
  3. States: Photos of America's pandemic July 4 — ICU beds in Arizona hot spot near capacity.
  4. Public health: U.S. coronavirus infections hit record highs for 3 straight days.
  5. Politics: Trump extends PPP application deadline — Kimberly Guilfoyle tests positive.
  6. World: Mexican leaders call for tighter border control as infections rise in U.S.
  7. Sports: 31 MLB players test positive as workouts resume.
  8. 1 📽 thing: Drive-in movie theaters are making a comeback.
Go deeper (<1 min. read)Arrow
Fadel Allassan
5 mins ago - Politics & Policy

Protester dies after car drives through closed highway in Seattle

Protesters gather on Interstate 5 on June 23, 2020 in Seattle, Washington. Photo: David Ryder/Getty Images

One person is dead and another is in serious condition after a car drove onto a closed freeway in Seattle early Saturday and into protesters against police brutality, AP reports.

  • "Summer Taylor, 24, of Seattle died in the evening at Harborview Medical Center, spokesperson Susan Gregg said."

Where it stands: The suspect, Dawit Kelete of Seattle, fled the scene after hitting the protesters, and was later put in custody after another protester chased him for about a mile. He was charged with two counts of vehicular assault. Officials told the AP they did not know whether it was a targeted attack, but the driver was not impaired.