This message now greets visitors to both DNAinfo and Gothamist...
Here's that message from publisher Joe Ricketts:
Dear DNAinfo and Gothamist Readers:
Today, I've made the difficult decision to discontinue publishing DNAinfo and Gothamist. Reaching this decision wasn't easy, and it wasn't one I made lightly.
I started DNAinfo in 2009 at a time when few people were investing in media companies. But I believed an opportunity existed to build a successful company that would report unbiased neighborhood news and information. These were stories that weren't getting told, and because I believe people care deeply about the things that happen where they live and work, I thought we could build a large and loyal audience that advertisers would want to reach.
A lot of what I believed would happen did, but not all of it. Today, DNAinfo and Gothamist deliver news and information each day to over half a million people's email inboxes; we have over 2 million fans across our social channels; and each month, we have over 15 million visits to our sites by over 9 million people. But more important than large numbers of visits and fans, we've reported tens of thousands of stories that have informed, impacted, and inspired millions of people. And in the process, I believe we've left the world a better place.
But DNAinfo is, at the end of the day, a business, and businesses need to be economically successful if they are to endure. And while we made important progress toward building DNAinfo into a successful business, in the end, that progress hasn't been sufficient to support the tremendous effort and expense needed to produce the type of journalism on which the company was founded. I want to thank our readers for their support and loyalty through the years. And I want to thank our employees for their tireless effort and dedication.
I'm hopeful that in time, someone will crack the code on a business that can support exceptional neighborhood storytelling for I believe telling those stories remains essential.
Sincerely,
Joe Ricketts
Chief Executive Officer
Ricketts bought Gothamist back in March.
The Times reported that the reporters and editors in the combined newsrooms "celebrated victory in their vote to join a union" just last week.
In total, the closure impacts 115 employees, including reporters, editors, sales staff, among others, in New York as well as in other cities with DNA/-ist outposts. According to the Times: "They are getting three months of paid 'administrative leave' at full salary, plus four weeks of severance."
And reactions...
Gothamist, Gawker, Village Voice, DNA Info, all gone within a year.... they're trying to end independent media, and it's working.
— Max RN (@MaxRivlinNadler) November 2, 2017
DNAinfo and Gothamist are being killed. We were the best in the game and I can't put into words what a loss this is to NYC news.
— Noah Hurowitz (@NoahHurowitz) November 2, 2017
shutting down gothamist and DNAinfo entirely -- without even leaving up an archive -- is jaw-droppingly vindictive
— Max Read (@max_read) November 2, 2017
Gothamist and DNA were both crucial sites staffed by amazing reporters and instantly deleting the archives is fucking evil
— Anna Merlan (@annamerlan) November 2, 2017
If only Joe Ricketts could have scraped together the money to keep Gothamist and DNAinfo up long enough for writers to save their clips. pic.twitter.com/XUx3h6dJn4
— Madison M. K. (@4evrmalone) November 2, 2017
DNAinfo and Gothamist are (not writing were, refuse to do it) some of the best local reporting in NYC 1/3
— Sam Biederman (@Biedersam) November 2, 2017
I just walked back from the bathroom to find out that everyone at @Gothamist and @DNAinfoNY has been laid off
— Christopher Robbins (@ChristRobbins) November 2, 2017
This is insane. They didn’t just mothball Gothamist, like Gawker or Consumerist, they actually took its entire archives offline
— Felix Salmon (@felixsalmon) November 2, 2017
Taking down the DNAInfo and Gothamist archives is really fucked up, for the city and for the reporters there who need their clips.
— Harry Siegel (@harrysiegel) November 2, 2017
The decision to shut down DNAinfo and Gothamist puts 115 journalists out of work, per NYT https://t.co/qzFDgaMhgJ
— Oliver Darcy (@oliverdarcy) November 2, 2017
A gut punch to local journalism and the intrepid reporters who keep New Yorkers informed and hold those in power accountable. https://t.co/CDWg5Q3n8l
— Eric Schneiderman (@AGSchneiderman) November 2, 2017
Updated 8 p.m.:
The following is a statement from the Writers Guild of America, East:
"We are deeply concerned by Joe Ricketts’ decision to shut down DNAinfo New York and Gothamist, along with all their respective local outlets. The New York offices of DNAinfo and Gothamist recently voted to unionize and it is no secret that threats were made to these workers during the organizing drive. The Guild will be looking at all of our potential areas of recourse and we will aggressively pursue our new members rights. We will meet with management in the near future to address all of these issues. We are currently working with the staff at DNAinfo and Gothamist to support them in this difficult time.”
