When the Pittsburgh Post Gazette pulled reporter Alexis Johnson off coverage of protests triggered by George Floyd’s death, nobody anticipated it would lead to a staff revolt and become a national story, part of an extraordinary week where the news media’s sluggishness in promoting diversity became part of the national conversation.
The companies have hammered out the broad strokes of a deal that would be a mixture of stock and some cash, and would have Refinery29 management stay on. It would add a large and female-skewing digital media company to Vice’s portfolio.
The digital, millennial-focused women’s lifestyle brand has made a deal with Turner to produce TV and digital programming together, as well as to sell advertising jointly. Turner led a $45 million funding round for Refinery29 as part of the deal. While specific collaborative ideas are still embryonic, TV is “an incredibly high-impact, high-engagement, high-quality medium that we just really want to be producing content for,” says Refinery29 CEO Justin Stefano.
Exclusives
Vox, Ozy.com and Refinery29 are among a growing number of new media brands are looking to differentiate themselves among a crowded pack of publishers.
