Media Insider: New Yorker Union Wins Just Cause, Bonnier Sells Three Magazines, BuzzFeed Pulls White House Correspondent

Welcome to Media Insider, PR Newswire’s roundup of media stories from the week.

CNN BUSINESS | KERRY FLYNN
New Yorker union wins fight for just cause in contract

After 95 years of at-will employment, The New Yorker union reached an agreement with owner Condé Nast for just cause to be included in its contract. This labor protection ensures job security by requiring an employer to build a case for why an employee should be fired, and keeps editorial standards and judgments in the hands of the magazine. The New Yorker union has been advocating for just cause since announcing their intention to unionize in 2018. The union’s voice got louder last week after U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren dropped out of The New Yorker Festival in an act of solidarity with the magazine’s staff union. A tentative agreement was made this past weekend after 30 hours of bargaining with management.

More from CNN: Billionaire Laurene Powell Jobs cuts back on journalism investments.

NEW YORK POST | KEITH J. KELLY
Bonnier Corp. sells Popular Science, Field & Stream and Outdoor Life

Bonnier Corp. agreed to sell seven of its biggest U.S. magazines, including Saveur, Popular Science and Field & Stream, to venture equity group North Equity LLC. Bonnier’s parent company, Stockholm’s Bonnier AB, has been making moves to exit the U.S. media market and this deal is another step towards that goal. In September, the company sold seven U.S. motorcycle magazines to fintech company Octane. Around 40 people are expected to stay under the new ownership, including editors-in-chief Colin Kearns at Field & Stream, Corinne Iozzio at Popular Science and Alex Robinson at Outdoor Life. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Meredith faces layoffs, declining stock prices and the COVID-19 ad recession.

THE NEW YORK TIMES | KATIE ROBERTSON
BuzzFeed News Pulls Reporter From White House, Citing Virus Risk

BuzzFeed News pulled its political correspondent from the White House due to concerns for her safety after President Trump, his top aides and several journalists tested positive for the coronavirus. Kadia Goba was withdrawn from the press pool on Wednesday and will not return until BuzzFeed News receives guidance from the White House Correspondents’ Association (WHCA). In response to the recent fear that the White House is now a coronavirus hot spot, The WHCA released a statement acknowledging that reporters “have worked under challenging circumstances to sustain the pool” during the pandemic and noted that the press pool is “vital to the American public” at such a critical moment in our nation’s history. The statement continued: “That means that we as a press corps, and each of us individually, must be clear-eyed about the potential risks of Covid exposure on the job, taking every precaution we can to fulfill our coverage obligations while being prepared for situations with which we may not be comfortable.” The association continued to encourage the wearing of masks and has pushed the White House to give the press corps more information about known infections so that journalists can evaluate the risk.

Continue Reading: Reporters are ‘livid’ after White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany tests positive for COVID-19.

MEDIAPOST | SARA GUAGLIONE
‘Fortune’ Editor Adam Lashinsky Steps Down After Nearly 20 Years

Fortune Executive Editor Adam Lashinsky announced he will step down on Oct. 14 after nearly two decades at Fortune. Lashinsky will move on to editor-in-chief of World 50, an organization that builds private peer communities for CEOs and other top executives at leading global corporations. Lashinsky is also currently working on a documentary film series, is a contributing writer for Business Insider and will continue as a regular contributor to the Fox Business Network. He will sign off with a feature for the November issue of the magazine.

Related: Los Angeles Times executive editor Norm Pearlstine announced the search for his successor has begun.

DONALD W. REYNOLDS JOURNALISM INSTITUTE | JENNIFER NELSON
Newly launched app empowers journalists to fight against harassment and assault

The Donald W. Reynolds Journalism Institute launched a new app built to help female journalists fight against harassment, bullying and assault. The app, JSafe, was developed with the help of University of Missouri College of Engineering and is managed by the Coalition for Women in Journalism. Inside the app, users can document incidents with the attacker’s email or social media handles, store photo or video evidence of threatening situations, and request resources from the Coalition for Women in Journalism. Kat Duncan, interim director of innovation at the Donald W. Reynolds Journalism Institute, stated: “Female journalists overwhelmingly face more harassment and assault than male journalists online and in the field. I wanted to help journalists combat this and get them the resources they need to help them be safe and taken care of when these incidents happen.”

ICYMI: A new study from Harvard’s Berkman Klein Center for Internet and Society shows how Trump and the RNC are the primary drivers of misinformation around mail-in voting fraud.

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Erin Wade is a Senior Customer Content Specialist with PR Newswire. She is also an animal lover and aspiring world traveler. Tune into her insights as a social curator at @TotalCSR.