The Athletic announced today that it was "laying off nearly 20 reporters, or about 4 percent of its journalistic staff," in an email to staffers from The Athletic Publisher David Perpich and Editor in Chief Steven Ginsberg. The note said an additional 20 reporters would be "moved from their current team beats to new ones," including regional coverage or general assignment roles. That strategy "marks a departure from the one-time mission of the outlet," which was to cover every team from every major league across the country with a dedicated reporter.
The note described an "evolving approach" to coverage. The NFL and English Premier League "dominate reader interest," and staffing for those leagues "remains mostly unchanged." Because NHL and MLB audiences are more local, those leagues "will have some beats eliminated." The company "will still have more than 100 beat writers covering specific teams," but a "new focus of the site will be stories that appeal to wider audiences" (WASHINGTON POST, 6/12).
