Grindr Lays Off Entire Editorial Staff at LGBT News Site in 'Shift to Video'

Grindr laid off its entire editorial and social team for its LGBT news service INTO on Tuesday, explaining in a statement that the website was looking to move away from writing and focus more on video content.

“As with any growing business, we have to continually evaluate what is best for Grindr. After a thoughtful and collaborative process, Grindr’s leadership decided to modify INTO’s content mix to rely more heavily on video,” the company said in a statement to TheWrap.

“This decision was driven by the high user engagement and development we see through channels such as Twitter and YouTube. With this strategic shift in focus, several INTO employees will be leaving the company. This was a difficult decision and one that we do not take lightly. We want to thank these colleagues for all of their contributions to Grindr and our community.”

“Staff remains at INTO as part of the shift to video,” a spokesperson added.

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It is still unclear what staff Grindr has kept on board. A separate statement from INTO editors Tuesday evening painted a much more dire picture. Published in full by The Advocate — which first broke the story — staff at INTO said both editorial and social had been completely gutted.

“The team at Into was saddened to learn this morning that as of Jan. 15, we will no longer be with Grindr. The company will be refocusing its efforts on video and as such, the editorial and social teams were let go this morning,” it read. “We feel that Into’s closure is a tremendous loss for LGBTQ media, journalism, and the world.”

INTO’s former editor-in-chief, Zach Stafford, left the publication a few weeks ago to assume editorial leadership of The Advocate. The decision by Grindr caps a nearly two-year-old experiment for the gay dating app to try their hand at running a news website.

The move to video shows that despite high profile failures like Mic, Mashable and Vocativ, publishers have not completely abandoned the strategy of focusing on video content through distribution on social media.

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In it’s brief existence, INTO did manage to do its fair share of enterprise reporting, most recently sending embeds into the migrant caravan in Mexico. In recent months, however, the site had faced scandal. In December, the president of Grindr, Scott Chen was busted by INTO for posting on Facebook that he didn’t believe in same-sex marriage.

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“There are people who believe that marriage is a holy matrimony between a man and a woman. I agree but that’s none of our business,” Chen said.

That same month the website and an INTO contributor also came under sustained criticism for a piece accusing Ariana Grande’s new music video “thank u, next” of being “anti-queer.” The writer of the story was forced to remove her byline after she received death threats and was ultimately dropped as a contributor entirely after the website revealed unspecified “allegations” were made against her.

11 Media Losers of 2018, From Les Moonves to Michael Avenatti (Photos)

2018 was hard for a lot of media folks, but particularly so for this rogues' gallery. For some, it was MeToo. For others, industry headwinds were too much. And for more still, disgrace and ignominy came after just saying the wrong thing.
Wrap
Les Moonves: Once celebrated for his leadership at CBS, Moonves faced multiple allegations of sexual harassment and misconduct for which he was ultimately fired. CBS said in December that it would seek to deny him a roughly $120-million severance package.
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Laura Ingraham: Long a divisive figure (even on the right), the Fox News host might have avoided the losers' column were it not for a sponsor boycott launched against her by Parkland shooting survivor David Hogg in March. Months later, advertisers are still wary of appearing on the program.

Also Read: Laura Ingraham Compares Confederate Statue Protesters to ISIS
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Michael Ferro/Tronc: The leadership of Michael Ferro has now made Tronc synonymous with mismanagement. In addition to leaving the top job with a #MeToo scandal over his head, Ferro is now facing accusations of making anti-semitic remarks and paying off an LA Times editor who reportedly had the comments on tape.
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Media Publishers: From Mic.com on the left to The Weekly Standard on the right, publishers came in for a beating, with some closing up entirely. With few exceptions, legacy shops saw print sales decline, while digital-first properties continue to face the crushing economics of turning pageviews into profits.
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Breitbart: It's a name you probably haven't heard for a while. Once a key part of the engine which powered Trump's improbable election, the website had long fallen off most radars. A sustained pressure campaign against advertisers on the site by Sleeping Giants has also taken a bite out of revenue.

Also Read: Breitbart and Drudge Hit by Google Cloud Issue, Go Offline
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Marc Lamont Hill: Once a CNN regular, Hill lost his job as a contributor on the network after making remarks about Israel and Palestine at the UN that many called anti-semitic. A chummy photo with Louis Farrakhan -- who has compared Jews to termites -- didn't help matters for him either. He remains a tenured professor at Temple University.

Also Read: CNN Fires Contributor Marc Lamont Hill Over Israel Remarks (Video)
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CBS and "60 Minutes": Both the network and its marquee news program took a beating this year. "60 Minutes" executive producer Jeff Fager was forced out in a MeToo scandal, while details of an investigation launched by the network generally hit the press before reaching top management.
CBS
Michael Avenatti: Just months ago, the lawyer representing Stormy Daniels in her legal fight with Donald Trump was considered a serious presidential contender. But his reputation took a hit after taking on a questionable MeToo claim against Brett Kavanaugh, and he disappeared for good after being booked on felony domestic violence charges in November (though he was not charged).

Also Read: Michael Avenatti Says He Won’t Run for President in 2020 After All
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Andy Lack: The MSNBC/NBC News chief had a rough 2018. His network's decision to pass on Ronan Farrow's historic MeToo reporting continues to reverberate. His big bet on Megyn Kelly also flopped and became a multi-million dollar ulcer which still remains far from resolved.
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Gavin McInnes: Always on the fringes, McInnes had nevertheless carved a niche for himself as an online provocateur, a host on CRTV and as the head of his own (occasionally violent/racist) fraternal organization, The Proud Boys. By the end of 2018, he was banned from Twitter, dropped by CRTV and had resigned from The Proud Boys.
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Univision: Univision spent $135 million on Gawker Media back in 2016 and has spent most of the time since mismanaging the former properties and being called out by its own writers. Amid buyouts to editorial and broad layoffs elsewhere, Univision revealed it is looking to cut its losses and unload the websites once and for all.

Also Read: Univision Unveils New Strategy to Drive Millennials From Their Phones to the TV (Exclusive)
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2018 was a rough year for media, and for this rogues’ gallery, the damage was particularly catastrophic

2018 was hard for a lot of media folks, but particularly so for this rogues' gallery. For some, it was MeToo. For others, industry headwinds were too much. And for more still, disgrace and ignominy came after just saying the wrong thing.

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11 Media Losers of 2018, From Les Moonves to Michael Avenatti (Photos)

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