Buzzfeed kicks out 45 journalists from its newly-acquired Huffpost

After acquiring HuffPost not long ago, one of Buzzfeed’s first moves was to fire at least 45 employees from the media company that it purchased. The layoffs were revealed early this week by HuffPost union.

The workers’ union vented out frustrations over the dismissal

Based on the report, Buzzfeed kicked out editors, reporters, and producers just three weeks after it acquired HuffPost. As per Associated Press News, the latter’s executive director Hillary Frey and online executive editor Louise Roug submitted their resignation letters after their co-workers were laid off.

With the dismissals, HuffPost union issued a statement and expressed their frustration with Buzzfeed’s decision. The group aired their thoughts through social media, and many people showed their support.

"We are devastated and infuriated, particularly after an exhausting year of covering a pandemic and working from home," the union tweeted after the layoffs were announced. "This is also happening less than a month after HuffPost was acquired by BuzzFeed, so we never got a fair shot to prove our worth.”

They added, “These layoffs reiterate the importance of forming a union and advocating for our colleagues and we are glad that we are protected by a collective bargaining agreement and that our colleagues will receive severance."

The HuffPost union further said that they will continue their fight to make HuffPost a more just workplace. They will also push for equality and promote transparency around pay equity.

Buzzfeed’s reason for removing some HuffPost employees

In any case, Buzzfeed explained that the company will start restructuring HuffPost to expedite its route to profitability. But unfortunately, the plan requires the removal of some staff to reduce the number of workers.

Jonah Peretti, Buzzfeed’s chief executive officer, also told the employees at a meeting that the dismissals will take effect in the next few days. She added that losses HuffPost incurred last year went over $20 million and this will happen again this year if there will be no intervention, thus the restructuring is needed to be carried out.

Peretti then pointed out that BuzzFeed may be a profitable media company but it doesn’t have the resources to support another one or two years of losses. Finally, the company will close down HuffPost Canada under the restructuring scheme.