(JTA) — The Forward, one of the most renowned and longest-running Jewish publications in the United States, will be ceasing its print edition and laying off its editor in chief and 20 percent of its staff.
The New York Post reported Wednesday night that the Forward would be ending its print run more than 120 years after it began publication in 1897. It will continue to exist online in English and Yiddish. A laid-off staff member posted the Post article on Facebook without comment.
The Forward’s editor in chief, Jane Eisner, will be laid off after more than a decade in the position along with Executive Editor Dan Friedman. Also laid off are Kurt Hoffman, the art director; Anya Ulinich, the deputy art director; Dave Goldiner, director of digital media; Kathleen Chambard, vice president of marketing; and Fern Wallach, an advertising account executive. Ten people were laid off.
“The Forward is taking the next step in making our brand more relevant to our readers and more connected to their lives,” Publisher and CEO Rachel Fishman Feddersen said, according to the Post. “We are announcing that this spring the Forward will complete its evolution from what was once a print-focused publisher to become a digitally focused publication.”
The New York City-based publication began as a Yiddish-language newspaper and launched a weekly English-language print edition in 1990. In 2017, it shifted to publishing a monthly magazine. The Forward has been known historically for investigative journalism, coverage of Jewish culture and a left-wing editorial stance. It is a client of JTA’s syndication service.
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