Refinery29 EIC Steps Down After Former Staffers Allege “Toxic” Culture

[caption id="attachment_103803" align="alignright" width="164"] Christene Barberich[/caption] Refinery29 co-founder Christene Barberich is stepping down from her role as global editor-in-chief of the 15 year-old women's lifestyle site to make way for a replacement, she revealed on Instagram Monday morning. The decision comes after multiple former staffers publicly accused the site, which was acquired by Vice Media for $400 million in October, of a lack of diversity and discrimination against people of color on its staff. "I’d like to start by saying that I’ve read and taken in the raw and personal accounts of Black women and women of color regarding their experiences inside our company at Refinery29. And, what's clear from these experiences, is that R29 has to change. We have to do better, and that starts with making room," Barberich wrote Monday. "I will be stepping aside in my role at R29 to help diversify our leadership in editorial and ensure this brand and the people it touches can spark a new defining chapter." The reckoning began last Tuesday, when Ashley Edwards, a former news and politics editor at Refinery29 from 2017 to 2019, responded after the site signaled support for the Black Lives Matter movement by calling out its alleged mistreatment of black staffers. Hey @Refinery29, cool blacked out homepage! But you know what real allyship looks like? Paying your Black employees fairly, having Black women in top leadership positions & addressing the... Continue reading at 'Folio Magazine'

[ Folio Magazine | 2020-06-08 17:01:08 UTC ]
News tagged with: #barberich implied #transitionary period #immediately begin #divergent points #original mission #wide range #hiring freeze #freelance journalist #hollywood reporter #sinha-roy accused #eller apologized #eventually return #$400 million #hey @refinery29

Other Publishing stories related to: 'Refinery29 EIC Steps Down After Former Staffers Allege “Toxic” Culture'


African Literature and Digital Culture

IN THE 21ST CENTURY, digital literary culture originating from the African continent has exploded. I still remember the early years, when Kindles first came into our lives and everyone was weighing in on whether ebooks were going to mean the death of literature. Back then, everything was fresh... Continue reading at Los Angeles Review of Books

[ Los Angeles Review of Books | 2021-01-04 18:00:58 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #african literature #digital culture #21st century #african continent #early years #ebooks


For Vice Media, bad-boy news culture is dead, long live news

Vice Media spent 2020 putting news more at the forefront of its brand, but it still has work to do positioning itself in the digital media landscape. The post For Vice Media, bad-boy news culture is dead, long live news appeared first on Digiday. Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2020-12-30 05:01:28 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #vice media #digital media


Epicurious is righting cultural wrongs one recipe at a time

With a new Black editor in chief and ambitious promises to do better, a little corner of the Conde Nast universe is taking racial and cultural injustice one recipe at a time Continue reading at ABC News

[ ABC News | 2020-12-24 18:32:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #conde nast


Corruption, violence and toxic masculinity: What strongmen like Trump have in common

Ruth Ben-Ghiat lays out shared traits of leaders who oversee democracy’s downfall. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2020-12-24 13:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #toxic masculinity


BBC director of arts Claypole to step down

BBC director of arts Jonty Claypole is stepping down from his role and leaving the corporation in April 2021. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-12-07 18:10:33 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


How Did Ancient Cultures Experience Reading?

The first book in David Bowles’s new graphic novel series, “Rise of the Halfling King,” shows kids how a hieroglyphic script might have captivated the Mayans. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2020-12-05 16:27:56 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #graphic novel


Herbert steps down at Forward Arts Foundation

Forward Arts Foundation executive director Susannah Herbert has announced she is stepping down after eight years in the role. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-11-25 04:48:33 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


BA boss Halls named FutureBook Person of the Year following bold pandemic steps

When Meryl Halls took over as managing director of the Booksellers Association in April 2018, she wondered what would define her time at the top of the trade body. “My predecessor Tim Godfray’s signature thing was keeping VAT off books, and he was very proud of that. I’ve had a bloody global... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-11-23 21:12:32 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #meryl halls #trade body #booksellers association


Lauren Oyler on America’s Alienating Literary Culture

The book critic and Fake Accounts author says that smart readers are not being served by the publishing industry. The post Lauren Oyler on America’s Alienating Literary Culture appeared first on The Millions. Continue reading at The Millions

[ The Millions | 2020-11-18 21:30:25 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #lauren oyler #publishing industry #book critic


My nightstand runneth over: A proud nerd recommends new intellectual and cultural histories

New works by Anthony Grafton, Peter Burke, Richard Ovenden quench many a curiosity. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2020-11-18 15:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


The 19 best books ‘Fast Company’ staffers read during quarantine—and the indie bookstores where you can buy them

Independent bookstores are hurting as shoppers stay online. Pick up one of our staff picks to support bookstores throughout the U.S. Whether you’re diving into an engrossing period drama, reading up on the history of protests or pandemics, or escaping into a fantastical world, chances are you’ve... Continue reading at Fast Company

[ Fast Company | 2020-11-06 16:00:54 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #pandemic began #indie bookstores #independent bookstores #support bookstores #staffers read #staff picks #great news #independent bookstore


‘There Are Tons of Brown Faces Missing’: Publishers Step Up Diversity Efforts

The push in book publishing for more authors and workers of color hasn’t abated, and companies are increasingly making lasting changes to the way they do business. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2020-10-29 16:18:17 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #publishers step #diversity efforts #book publishing


As Trump blundered, Cuomo stepped into the coronavirus spotlight

In his memoir Cuomo recounts how daunting it was — and is — to deal with the day-to-day crises of the pandemic. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2020-10-16 12:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #memoir


Indie presses and literary festivals among first ACE Culture Recovery Fund recipients

The first round of the £275m Culture Recovery Fund has been allocated, and sees some indie presses receiving up to £200,000.  Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-10-12 07:24:04 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #indie presses #literary festivals


‘The Perfect Nine,’ by perennial Nobel Prize favorite Ngugi wa Thiong’o, is a mythic look at his culture’s origins

“The Perfect Nine” tells the tale of Gikuyu and Mumbi, progenitors of the Gikuyu people of central Kenya. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2020-10-12 06:09:05 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


Nonprofits step up to help minority entrepreneurs navigate the pandemic

When Covid-19 began to take its toll on New York City's economy in mid-March, Harlem Community News publisher Pat Stevenson didn't know how she would survive. Stevenson's revenue is completely... To view the full story, click the title link. Continue reading at Crains New York

[ Crains New York | 2020-10-08 18:41:46 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #news publisher


Craig asked to step down as Myslexia judge after signing Rowling support letter

Amanda Craig has been dropped as a competition judge by women’s writing magazine Mslexia over her signing of a letter to the Times in defence of J K Rowling. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-09-30 08:48:57 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #amanda craig


Vincent Van Gogh’s image is cemented in our cultural memory. His letters complicate the view.

A selection of Van Gogh’s correspondence gives us a fuller picture of the man behind the mercurial reputation. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2020-09-17 13:39:17 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #van gogh #fuller picture


How Bookstore Unions Are Stepping Up

No single event has wiped out more bookselling jobs in the modern era than the Covid-19 pandemic. Few booksellers have any job protections—that is, unless they have a union. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-09-11 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #modern era #covid-19 pandemic #bookstore


Jennifer Howard’s ‘Clutter: An Untidy History’ takes Marie Kondo’s message a step further

Howard argues that decluttering is not just a personally liberating ritual, but also a moral imperative. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2020-09-10 05:43:11 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #jennifer howard #moral imperative