The New Republic Will Not Publish Next Issue Thanks to Staff Exodus

The New Republic magazine will not publish its next issue, which had been scheduled to appear Dec. 15, after about a dozen full-time editorial staffers and many more contributors resigned in the wake of a management shakeup this week. The magazine has lost at least 55 people from its masthead -- a mix of fulltime employees and contributing editors -- since Thursday, according to tweets from Ryan Lizza, a contributing editor. "Given the departure this week of several editors and writers, The New Republic decided to cancel the issue rather than risk producing a magazine not in keeping with the traditionally high standards of the institution," a spokesman said in an email. Any advertisers affected by the cancellation will receive make goods, the spokesman said. Advertising is not a significant part of the magazine, though it has sought to attract more ad dollars in the last year. Companies such as BP, Goldman Sachs and Credit Suisse advertise in The New Republic. The next issue will instead appear Feb. 2, according to the spokesman. It will be the first of 10 issues scheduled for 2015, including two double issues. Those issues will be edited by the magazine's new editor in chief Gabriel Snyder. The editorial exodus this week was sparked by changes brought to the 100-year-old magazine by its owner and publisher, Facebook co-founder Chris Hughes. In a memo to staff on Thursday, The New Republic CEO Guy Vidra, a former Yahoo exec, said the magazine was replacing its editor, moving its headquarters to New York from Washington D.C. and cutting the number of issues in half to 10 starting in 2015. Mr. Snyder, former editor in chief of Gawker and The Atlantic Wire, was hired to help usher in a new era at The New Republic, according to Mr. Vidra's memo. "As we move forward under Gabriel's leadership, we are re-imagining The New Republic as a vertically integrated digital media company," Mr. Vidra said in his memo Thursday. Mr. Synder succeeds Franklin Foer as editor in chief, who said in a memo to staff this week that he was leaving over a disagreement about the future of the magazine. In a statement issued Friday, Mr. Hughes, who through a spokesman declined Ad Age's interview request, said he was "saddened by the loss of such great talent." "It has been a privilege to work with them, and I wish them only the best," he said. "This is a time of transition, but I am excited to work with our team -- both new and old alike -- as we pave a new way forward." Mr. Hughes, who also helped develop the digital strategy for the 2008 Obama campaign, bought The New Republic in 2012.

The New Republic Will Not Publish Next Issue Thanks to Staff Exodus

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