The Atlantic cuts jobs because of covid-19

[Jonathan R 1]

The economic effects of covid-19 on newsrooms are continuing, this time at The Atlantic magazine, which cut its staff by 17%. It is a real shame, especailly  because the magazine has been producing some of the best coverage in America on the virus.

Variety reports that it will be losing 68 jobs, or 17% of its workforce. That includes 22 editorial jobs and the shutdown of The Atlantic's video department.

This comes despite a big increase in paid subscriptions.  David Bradly, the chairman, wrote in a letter to staff that the move is despite "exceptional growth in print and digital subscriptions since our September introduction of a paywall.  Even so, this was matched by 

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the overnight and near-complete undoing of in-person events and, for now, a bracing decline in advertising.

You can read more about they layoffs from Variety magazine here and about how it has tried since September 2019 to drive subscriptions in an article at Publishing.co.uk 

[Jonathan Ancer 1]

 This is terrible. The Atlantic is excellent and has produced groundbreaking journalism - of the virus and of American politics. South African media is also taking strain. A couple of weeks ago Associated Media, publishers of Cosmopolitan, House & Leisure, Good Housekeeping, etc announced it was closing and Caxton Magazines followed soon afterwards saying  it was closing, "in principle", all its titles, including Bona, Rooi Rose, Country Life, and Your Family.