Deadspin staffers revolted Tuesday against a “stick to sports” mandate, leading to the firing of interim editor-in-chief Barry Petchesky. “Hi! I’ve just been fired from Deadspin for not…
Petchesky’s termination came one day after management at parent company,, handed down a new mandate telling Deadspin employees to stop writing stories that don’t involve sports.
While Deadspin is a sports site, it’s also known for covering politics, media, and culture, including President Trump’s response to NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick kneeling during the national anthem. A day before the new sports only edict, the site covered Trump being booed during Game 5 of the World Series on Sunday night in Washington, D.C.Paul Maidment, G/O Media editorial director, sent a memo to the staff Monday handing down the new rule.
“To create as much great sports journalism as we can requires a 100% focus of our resources on sports. And it will be the sole focus,” said the memo leaked to the. “Deadspin will write only about sports and that which is relevant to sports in some way.” The edict was met with anger internally and by readers on social media, prompting staffers to fill Deadspin’s homepage with non-sports stories this morning.
Before his firing, Petchesky had been with the company for ten years. His departure came just two months after Deadspin’s previous editor-in-chief, Megan GreenwellDeadspin was previously run by Gizmodo Media Group, which was renamed G/O Media after private equity firm Great Hill Partners acquired its portfolio, including Jezebel and Gizmodo, from Univision-owned Fusion Media earlier this year.
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