Post: #1

Quote:'Newsweek' owner's top execs resign; company inflated users for CFPB ad campaign, report says

SAN FRANCISCO — The publisher of Newsweek and the International Business Times bought fake audience traffic in order to fulfill a large government advertising campaign, a consulting firm alleged. Also, two top execs at the company resigned.

Source: USA Today

Post: #2

Its a big deal because the advertiser was the federal government. They can hit you for triple damages and potentially criminal penalties. It also opens a can of worms because all of your other advertisers are going to want partial refunds, and of course its embarrassing to admit you have far fewer readers than you claim and a fraction of readers of less prestigous sites like Drudge.

Post: #3

It appears to be much worse behind the scenes. Good riddance to bad rubbish.

Re: the fake users, I wonder how many other media outlets are doing the same?

Newsweek in Chaos as Top Editors, Reporters Fired and New York Staff Sent Home

The Wrap Wrote:Newsweek Media Group fired editor-in-chief Bob Roe and executive editor Ken Li Monday. Additionally, TheWrap has learned that the publication has parted ways with the top reporters of its investigations unit, including Celeste Katz and Josh Saul. Josh O’Keefe, a reporter for Newsweek’s affiliated International Business Times, was also dismissed.

In an email to employees late Monday, company CEO Dev Pragad announced that IBT Managing Editor Nancy Cooper would take up leadership as “acting editor” of Newsweek.

The company suggested that employees who were not fired go home Monday — potentially without pay — though few complied, TheWrap has learned. And several other staffers, including veteran political reporter Matthew Cooper, resigned on Monday.

The staff turmoil comes amid questions about the media company’s financial viability amid legal woes over sexual harassment and questions about the veracity of its online traffic.

“IBT employees were not paid last night,” a current Newsweek employee told TheWrap. “They claimed we were about to get paid by 3 and 5 today and if we don’t get paid by 5 I am going to lead the f—ing revolution.”

Company management fired “everyone on that investigative team and a ‘payroll error’ last night means nobody in the company got paid,” said the employee. “They are apparently in a ‘work stoppage’ and being sent home for the day.”

As the Daily Beast reported, members of the Newsweek investigations unit had written several pieces critical of the company in recent days, something an internal source within the company suggested was related to today’s actions.

“They were all independently working on a story about ‘the Church,’ a.k.a. our owners,” said the employee.

A second Newsweek insider said a general panic had swept remaining employees.

“We were told that we were ‘welcome to go home’ earlier today, but no one has left. Everyone is downloading their articles off the website, talking with their sources and transferring their work contacts. The unofficial general agreement is to stay for more information but not work at all. There is alcohol out and most people are just comforting each other,” said the individual.

“The idea of walking out on the job in response to our owners firing Bob and Ken was briefly discussed.”

Post: #4

This could be a giant cesspool on the fake news archipelago.

After the election three toilet papers of record were caught with massive inflations of traffic. The BBC were in on it too. It's relatively easy to fiddle all sorts of metrics that advertiser might look at.

Post: #5

I'm sure the Trump curse has absolutely nothing to do with it.

Post: #6

Fake Traffic for Fake News - color me surprised !

Post: #7

Couldn't happen to nicer scumbags. Fake news getting destroyed? Yes please!

Post: #8

Who do the advertisers go after?

Post: #9

Get woke, go broke

Post: #10

I've been seeing Newsweek articles listed on Yahoo!'s front page (all anti-Trump diatribes), so their friends in the digital media have been trying to throw them a few bones. Sounds like it didn't work to keep them afloat.

Post: #11

^ To be fair to them, most of the country(at least those who can read past a 4th grade level) don't like the president. There's no shame in appealing to a larger market of college educated and suave city dwellers.

Post: #12

This is the rag that brought us that great cover some years ago. The one with the infant and the caption asking “is your baby racist?”

Fuck them and their dogshit masquerading as news.

Post: #13

Couldn't have happened to better people.

Post: #14

It wouldn't surprise me if almost all of the political newsmedia is inflating its statistics dramatically.

Even the flaming liberals I know do not read these rags or watch CNN/MSNBC/etc.

Post: #15

Of course they are all inflating.

The evaluations of Vice, Vox and others are completely ridiculous and based on pure speculation.

Post: #16

The perfect bible thumping dudes(many thrice married) at fox would never do that, but its certain the scumbags at cnn would. ;-)