Nexstar Media Group has issued pink slips and offered buyouts to more than a dozen journalists at its political affairs publication The Hill, The Desk can confirm.
The layoffs involve a handful of editorial staffers, including six who were represented by the Communication Workers of America (CWA), the union that ratified its first collective bargaining agreement with The Hill two months ago.
A total of 18 employees were either given pink slips or accepted buyout offers this week, according to two sources familiar with the matter.
Some of the affected journalists published farewell messages on their social media accounts late Tuesday morning.
“I was laid off from The Hill yesterday,” Kristina Karisch, who co-wrote The Hill’s morning newsletter Morning Report, said on X (formerly Twitter).
Karisch continued: “It was such a privilege to co-write Morning Report for the past three years; I’ll miss all of my incredibly talented colleagues dearly.”
Elizabeth Crisp, a politics reporter and newsletter writer, confirmed she was among those who accepted a buyout offer.
“I’ve loved my 5 years doing all sorts of things for The Hill. I am extremely thankful,” Crisp said in a social media post. “Just felt like time for change. What’s next? We’ll see. I have faith that it will all work out. Open to opportunities.”
A Nexstar spokesperson declined to comment on the layoffs.
In July, journalists at The Hill overwhelmingly approved its first collective bargaining agreement with Nexstar, which was guided by the CWA’s NewsGuild. The agreement guaranteed an 18 percent increase in the salary floor for junior-level workers, doubled the amount of paid parental leave and added protections around the use of artificial intelligence in editorial-driven content. The contract also increased the amount of bereavement, medical and family leave for covered workers.
In a statement announcing the new contract, the CWA and NewsGuild said Nexstar “is still insistent on laying off 22 of our colleagues.”
“While this agreement includes language guaranteeing voluntary buyouts to mitigate layoffs, The Hill Guild continues to strongly condemn Nexstar’s pursuit of layoffs as it reports record profits,” Brooke Migdon, a member of The Hill’s bargaining team, said in July.
Nexstar agreed to shell out $130 million for The Hill in 2021. In a statement, Nexstar said The Hill attracted “more unique visitors than any other comparable political news website” based on data attributed to measurement firm Comscore.
Last month, Nexstar said its overall revenue dipped 3 during the second financial quarter (Q2) of the year. The decrease in revenue was attributed to ongoing softness in the traditional television and digital media advertising markets.
