DNAinfo and Gothamist, two respected online news sites focused on local New York City stories, were shut down suddenly on Thursday afternoon — one week after voting to unionize.
All current articles and the vast archives of lively reports on both websites were unavailable, replaced by a grim letter penned by owner Joe Ricketts saying his decision was motivated by sagging finances.
A spokesperson for DNAinfo said all stories from both websites will be archived and preserved but that details would be released in the coming weeks.
Ricketts, a billionaire who founded TD Ameritrade, started DNAinfo in 2009. Since that time, it made a mark with in-depth coverage of neighborhoods and citywide stories often ignored by other media outlets.
“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,” Ricketts wrote.
“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,” he said.
Staffers of DNAinfo and Gothamist apparently had no advance warning of the announcement and found out when the letter was posted online around 5 p.m. They received emails saying they would receive three months of paid administrative leave and four weeks of severance.
“I loved this job, all of us did,” said Jeanmarie Evelly, who covered several Queens neighborhoods for DNAinfo since 2012. “We worked really hard and it’s sad it has to end this way.”
“Everyone is shaken up but we have a lot of support,” said reporter Ben Fractenberg, who started at DNAinfo in 2010. “The people who will suffer the most are the local communities across the country. They have taken away a vital resource for millions of people.”
The shutdown puts 116 reporters and editors out of work. That includes DNAinfo and Gothamist offices in Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Washington, as well as New York.
DNAinfo and amNewYork have had a content sharing agreement in print for several years.
Ricketts purchased Gothamist earlier this year as part of his DNAinfo portfolio but the two sites never officially merged. Staffers overwhelmingly voted to join the Writers Guild of America East on Oct. 26.
Founded in 2003, Gothamist covered New York City news, food and culture. It had a devoted readership for its mix of hard news, quirky features and long-form pieces.
The union vote was not mentioned in Ricketts’ statement but he had made previous public statements about his distaste for unions.
“In my eyes, deciding to unionize was not at odds with what Mr. Ricketts wanted for the site,” Evelly said. “Our unionizing was an effort to make us stronger as a team and as a workplace.”
The decision to shut down the sites was met with shock and anger by local elected officials and fellow journalists.
“A gut punch to local journalism and the intrepid reporters who keep New Yorkers informed and hold those in power accountable,” New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman tweeted in response to the news.
Mayor Bill de Blasio called Ricketts “a coward.”
“He wouldn’t last a minute under the intrepid scrutiny of the reporters he employed. What a loss for our city,” the mayor tweeted on Thursday.
City Comptroller Scott Stringer tweeted that the two websites “haven’t just done extraordinary reporting. They’ve made New York City a better place for all of us.”
With Ivan Pereira
