The popular media left-wing outlet The Messenger, which claimed to be nonpartisan, is gone.
Less than a year ago, the outlet launched with a “$50 million launch” and “lofty promises of building one of the nation’s largest newsrooms.”
They promised “unbiased journalism,” but they were left-wing.
The outlet had some good stories, even breaking news, but most were from the leftist viewpoint.
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People were shocked by the quick disintegration. When you go to their site, this is what you see:
Hundreds of employees were fired, many pirated away from top newspapers. “The organization hired about 300 people, including journalists with experience at such publications as Politico, Reuters, NBC News, and The Associated Press, who joined the company in the hopes that it would deliver on its promise to introduce an important new nonpartisan voice to the American news landscape.”
They didn’t get termination pay and are planning a class action lawsuit.
No severance was offered after their short-notice layoffs, and no last rites were offered. The only trace of the site that remains is a dead page reading “TheMessenger” and an email address. Reporters learned they were being thrown into unemployment by reading the New York Times rather than a note from management.
We can tell you the problem in their vision with this paragraph:
In March, Mr. Finkelstein spoke grandly of its editorial ambitions, telling The New York Times that he wanted the website to recall great journalism institutions like “60 Minutes” and Vanity Fair. He critiqued the coverage on channels like CNN and Fox News, noting what he said were inconsistencies in coverage of the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. capitol and the southern border.
Yes, there was some great journalism at “60 Minutes” once, and they have good writers at Vanity Fair, but they are left-wing and aren’t even close to being nonpartisan. “60 Minutes” now lies a lot.
The Washington Post reported that even the outlet’s editor-in-chief was unaware of the pending closure.
Jimmy Finkelstein, CEO and founder of The Messenger, said in a memo to staff: “Unfortunately, as a new company, we encountered even more significant challenges than others and could not survive those headwinds.”
The memo added: “I am personally devastated to share that we have made the painfully hard decision to shut down The Messenger, effective immediately. Over the past few weeks, literally until earlier today, we exhausted every option available and have endeavored to raise sufficient capital to reach profitability. Unfortunately, we have been unable to do so, which is why we haven’t shared the news with you until now.”
The Messenger lost about $38 million.
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