Hearst Magazines cut 41 staffers in the latest restructuring for the magazine publisher that includes Cosmopolitan, Elle, Seventeen and Harper’s Bazaar.
Hearst Magazines Media Union broke the news of the layoffs on Twitter. “We are losing talented people whose creativity and institutional knowledge is immeasurable. These are immensely skilled writers, editors and producers who collectively have decades of experience in journalism,” the union tweeted. “We are disappointed and angry that Hearst unilaterally chose to lay off our members instead of coming to the table to explore alternative options.”
Seventeen editor in chief Kristin Koch will exit in September, after which the magazine will be put under the purview of Cosmopolitan editor Jessica Giles.
“As we continue to produce the highest-quality content across all platforms, we’re also making strategic decisions that position the business for long-term growth,” a Hearst spokesperson said in a statement.
Like many legacy publishers, Hearst employees have endured waves of restructurings resulting in painful staff reductions. At the beginning of the year, the company reorganized its advertising business. And in 2021, as the industry was still reeling from a massive pandemic-spurred advertising downturn, the company offered its sales and marketing departments voluntary buyouts that winnowed the magazine division’s workforce by about 5 percent (more than 120 employees).