The HuffPost Australia team is being cut just weeks after merging with its new owner BuzzFeed.
According to HuffPost Australia editor Alicia Vrajlal, the title will no longer have a local team from Friday.
The online site has also posted a note saying it will cease publishing content from March 17, with existing content to be maintained as an online archive. Readers are being directed to HuffPost.com for global content.
The announcement follows reports that BuzzFeed, which reached a deal with Verizon Media in November last year to acquire HuffPost, is laying off 70 HuffPost employees, including 47 in the US.
Locally, HuffPost had about four staff for its relaunch in 2019 by Verizon Media, including senior editor Carly Williams and editor Alicia Vrajlal working on HuffPost Australia and two others on HuffPost.com.
The note on HuffPost Australia
Vrajlal announced the cuts to the team on social media.
“Some sad news today - this will be my last week at HuffPost Australia,” Vrajlal said.
“As part of the global redundancies across the brand, HuffPost Australia won’t have a local team after Friday.”
1) Some sad news today - this will be my last week at HuffPost Australia. As part of the global redundancies across the brand, HuffPost Australia won’t have a local team after Friday.
— Alicia Vrajlal (@LeeshieV) March 17, 2021
BuzzFeed says it is “restructuring” HuffPost to fast-track its profitability.
“BuzzFeed has announced that it’s begun a restructuring of HuffPost in order to break even this year and fast-track its path to profitability,” a BuzzFeed spokesperson told AdNews.
“As part of these changes, we have begun a consultation process in Australia to propose focusing on global content with a smaller team.”
Digital media companies have been struggling in recent years, particularly since the pandemic with BuzzFeed Australia and Ten Daily both closing their news operations in May last year.
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