Essence Denies Toxic Workplace Allegations After Anonymous Call for Resignations

As it marks its 50th anniversary this month amid a multi-weekend, virtual edition of its annual music and culture festival, Essence finds itself on the defensive, refuting allegations of a toxic work environment rife with corporate bullying, intimidation and pay inequity made in an anonymous letter released Sunday, which called for the resignations of several of the magazine's executives. Purportedly written by current and/or former staffers who said they withheld their identities for fear of retaliation, the letter, titled "The Truth About Essence," accused CEO and owner Richelieu Dennis and other senior executives of fostering an "extremely unhealthy work culture" at the publication, which they said upheld a "longstanding pattern of gross mistreatment and abuse of its Black female employees," which make up over 80% of Essence's workforce. "The testimonies on Twitter and Instagram by a mighty chorus of brave Black women uncovered the racial bias and discrimination in America’s white-owned mass media organizations. This led to resignations followed by recent corporate promises to do better," the letter stated. "But Black women at Essence have been forced to remain silent. We fear cannibalizing the public narrative for Black Lives Matter and civil rights 2.0. We also fear losing our jobs or being banished from Black cultural spaces." The letter detailed a litany of alleged transgressions by management, including "tactical bullying" and "malignant and histrionic... Continue reading at 'Folio Magazine'

[ Folio Magazine | 2020-06-30 17:51:48 UTC ]
News tagged with: #cancel culture #sexual misconduct

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World Literature Today to Co-host Online “RESISTIR Latin America” Poetry Event and Call for Peace

World Literature Today to Co-host Online “RESISTIR Latin America” Poetry Event and Call for Peace News and Events [email protected] Mon, 10/30/2023 - 15:47 On Saturday, November 18 at 12pm cst, the “RESISTIR Groupe” of Latin American PEN Centers,... Continue reading at World Literature Today

[ World Literature Today | 2023-10-30 20:47:30 UTC ]
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Why this AI pioneer is calling for 'human centered' computing

Fei-Fei Li, author of 'The Worlds I See' and co-director of Stanford's Human-Centered AI Institute, joins the L.A. Times Book Club Nov. 14. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2023-10-20 14:00:28 UTC ]
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‘The potential to undermine democracy’: European publishing trade bodies call for action on generative AI

Three organisations argue that more transparency is needed after research found AI models have been trained using pirated works by authors such as Zadie Smith and Stephen KingThree major European publishing trade bodies have urged the EU to “act now” on transparency over artificial intelligence... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2023-10-19 13:53:46 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #european publishing #largest book #book chain #artificial intelligence #zadie smith #generative ai


Microsoft buys Activision, maker of Diablo, Warcraft, and Call of Duty, for $69 billion

United Kingdom regulators were effectively the last hurdle stopping Microsoft from purchasing Activision Blizzard, in the biggest merger the video game industry has ever seen. That hurdle was cleared this morning as the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority relented to adjusted terms.... Continue reading at PC World

[ PC World | 2023-10-13 14:10:14 UTC ]
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Authors join call for Baillie Gifford to divest from fossil fuel

More than 150 writers and industry professionals are asking the firm, which is a leading sponsor of UK literary festivals, to drop their investmentsMore than 150 authors and books industry professionals including Naomi Klein, Robert Macfarlane, Emma Dabiri and Geoff Dyer have signed a statement... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2023-10-13 11:35:41 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #literary festival #sponsorship deal #fossil fuels #open letter #geoff dyer #robert macfarlane #industry professionals #baillie gifford #statement calling


Albanese says attacks on Dan Andrews ‘low point in journalism’ as News Corp vitriol continues after resignation

Murdoch papers declare the premier’s electoral popularity was a ‘cult’ and his legacy nothing but a state ‘deep in debt’Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcastThe Sunday Herald Sun’s front-page photo of the... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2023-09-27 03:28:06 UTC ]
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Four large US publishers sue ‘shadow library’ for alleged copyright infringement

The publishers are claiming unspecified damages from the file-sharing Library Genesis, which they say has distributed files illegallyFour leading US publishers have sued an online “shadow library” that allows visitors to download textbooks and other copyrighted materials free.Cengage, Macmillan... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2023-09-15 16:55:19 UTC ]
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Indigo CEO Peter Ruis resigns

The up-and-down year at Canadian book retailer Indigo took a new twist on Thursday as newly minted CEO Peter Ruis abruptly resigned. Continue reading at CBC

[ CBC | 2023-09-07 13:48:13 UTC ]
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Sarah Young, ‘Jesus Calling’ Author, Dies at 77

Bestselling author Sarah Young, whose 2004 title 'Jesus Calling' is one of the most successful devotionals of all time, died on September 1. She was 77. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-09-02 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Society of Authors calls use of bad reviews for book blurbs ‘morally questionable’

After several critics complained of being quoted out of context on the covers of Jordan Peterson’s new book, the industry body has spoken out against the practiceThe Society of Authors (SoA) has spoken out against publishers misrepresenting negative reviews on book covers and the UK publisher... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2023-09-01 06:02:22 UTC ]
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‘Jesus Calling’ Author Sarah Young’s Health is ‘Rapidly Failing’

Sarah Young, author of ‘Jesus Calling—’one of the most successful devotionals of all time—is experiencing a health crisis, as confirmed by her publisher, Thomas Nelson. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-08-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #thomas nelson #successful devotionals #sarah young #jesus calling


Calling for a Core Jewish Identity: PW Talks to Donniel Hartman

Rabbi Donniel Hartman urges Jews to forge a connection between themselves and 3,000 years of Jewish life in his new book, Who Are the Jews—and Who Can We Become?. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-08-23 04:00:00 UTC ]
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New Books Address Surviving Toxic Religion

People who encountered abuse and shame in their church or harsh religious teachings are speaking up and experts offer hope for healing. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-08-09 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Journalist called News Corp ‘tabloid bottom feeders’ after it queried ABC’s Heston Russell stories, court hears

Defamation trial hears Mark Willacy criticised ‘Murdoch’s people’ in email to confidential source after Daily Telegraph questioned reports on ex-commandoFollow our Australia news live blog for the latest updatesGet our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcastThe ABC... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2023-08-01 05:44:11 UTC ]
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CBLDF Calls for Collective Action

Jeff Trexler, interim director of the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund, told PW that the book bans happening across the country were a topic of much conversation at San Diego Comic-Con. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-07-28 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Get a call or a critique from a high-powered agent AND do good in the world.

Sound too good to be true? Well I have news for you, dear aspiring writer, you can get yourself a phone call or a manuscript critique from a fancy literary agent by bidding at this year’s Literary Agents of Change Auction.  The LAOC is an organization that believes that advancing the publishing... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2023-06-15 17:12:39 UTC ]
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Texas Officially Bans So-Called “Sexually Explicit” Books; Demands Book Ratings from Vendors

Texas's Governor signs a bill into law that gives him power over what books can be in libraries *and* forces ratings on books. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2023-06-15 10:40:00 UTC ]
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Book Review: ‘Code Red’ and ‘Calling the Moon: 16 Period Stories From BIPOC Authors’

Decades after “Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret,” an anthology and a novel let readers see periods through the eyes of diverse protagonists. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2023-06-02 09:00:39 UTC ]
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News Corp denies it played a part in Stan Grant’s decision to leave Q+A amid racist attacks

Murdoch’s Australian media chief calls on ABC to ‘correct the record’ after accusations that excessive coverage encouraged racist social media trollsGet our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcastRupert Murdoch’s top executive in Australia has defended News Corp’s... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2023-05-23 08:46:23 UTC ]
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Wave of Resignations Rocks Coffee House Press

Two editors and the publicist for the indie publisher will leave Coffee House by the end of the month as its interim director scrambles to replace them. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-05-17 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #indie publisher