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The Messenger (website)

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The Messenger
Type of site
News website
Available inEnglish
FoundedMay 15, 2023
DissolvedJanuary 31, 2024; 9 months ago (2024-01-31)
HeadquartersWest Palm Beach, Florida, U.S.
OwnerJAF Communications Inc.
Founder(s)Jimmy Finkelstein
PresidentRichard Beckman
CEOJimmy Finkelstein
URLThe Messenger at the Wayback Machine (archived 2024-01-30)
CommercialYes
LaunchedMay 15, 2023; 17 months ago (2023-05-15)
Current statusdefunct[1]

The Messenger was an American news website founded by Jimmy Finkelstein, the former owner of Washington, D.C.-based news organization The Hill. The publication launched on May 15, 2023, and hired many journalists and editors from several other established news organizations. On January 31, 2024, Finkelstein informed employees that The Messenger was shutting down effective immediately, citing funding issues.[2] The New York Times called it "one of the biggest busts" in online news.[1]

History

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The Messenger was founded by Finkelstein, after selling The Hill to Nexstar Media Group in 2021. Finkelstein began to raise funds for The Messenger, which he founded in West Palm Beach, Florida.[3] The website secured an investment of $50 million from American businessmen Mark Penn, Victor Ganzi, Josh Harris, James Tisch, and Thomas Peterffy[4][5] and acquired the assets of Grid News prior to its launch on May 15, 2023.[6][7][8] Richard Beckman, former president of The Hill and Condé Nast, served the same role with The Messenger.[5]

On January 2, 2024, The New York Times reported that The Messenger would be laying off two dozen employees due to financial difficulties. Beckman announced he would be leaving the company due to health issues.[9] Semafor reported the next day that the company's board was considering shutting it down after learning that the company would run out of money by the end of the month. The company said that it had begun to secure further investments.[10] CNBC reported the site scaled back its employee cuts and planned on launching a vertical called Messenger TV, even with its liquidity and cash flow problems, and estimated a surge in revenue for the year.[11]

On January 31, Axios and The New York Times reported that the funding attempt had failed, and the organization would be shutting down.[1][2] The day after its shut down, The Messenger was sued in a class action lawsuit by its former employees, who had not been offered severance.[12]

Content

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The website's approach to publication of news content was to publish large quantities of content, having rapidly hired large numbers of journalists at above-market wages and acquiring Grid News in order to facilitate broad coverage of the news.[5][8][13] According to former staffers, the website often functioned similarly to a content farm, with reporters aggregating stories from other news sources and social media.[14]

In June 2023, The Messenger published a story[15] about a Nevada family supposedly being visited by aliens.[14] As the website developed, it started producing more original content, including stories on the New York City Police Department conducting a wellness check on a fundraiser for Mayor Eric Adams[16] and on Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce "quietly hanging out" in July.[14][17]

In September, The Messenger published a story based on a post from Libs of TikTok, a far-right Twitter account.[14]

Editorial stance

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In December 2023, Semafor reported that Finkelstein had ordered coverage of Donald Trump's civil fraud trial in November to be taken off the home page, which sparked a backlash from some editors. In an email to a group of editors, Finkelstein said his instructions for the placement of stories about Trump had been misunderstood and that more balance was needed on the home page.[14][18]

The Messenger published pro-Israel opinion pieces about the Israel–Hamas war, including a piece by Harlan K. Ullman arguing that Israel "has no alternative except to launch a full offensive against Gaza".[19] A review by The Washington Post found that it had not published pieces in support of a ceasefire or by Palestinian writers.[14]

Staffing

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At the time of The Messenger's launch, editorial and managerial staff included senior staff from several other news organizations. Dan Wakeford, the former editor-in-chief of People, served in the same role at The Messenger, while former Politico politics editor Marty Kady served as the website's politics editor. The sports section was led by former editorial director of The Athletic Dan Kauffman, while former Gizmodo editor-in-chief David M. Ewalt served as the website's technology and science editor. The Messenger's health vertical was edited by Amy Eisinger, the former editor-in-chief of Self, and the website's entertainment vertical was led by former Entertainment Weekly editor-in-chief Mary Margaret.[4]

The Messenger employed about 150 journalists at the time of its launch,[4][20] with the website claiming it would employ around 550 by the end of its first year in operation.[5] The site hired about 300 people during its eight months in operation.[1]

Business model

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The site's business model was dependent primarily on revenue from advertisers, as the website was free-to-access and was not paywalled,[4][8] though the site aimed to bring in revenue through the sale of subscription-only newsletters and sponsored events.[4]

The company's growth strategy was considered aggressive, with its stated goals being to expand its employment rolls to 750 (including 550 newsroom employees) and to attain profitability by earning $100 million in annual revenue by 2024,[4] seeking to achieve 100 million unique monthly visitors by that time.[5] The Messenger had more than 100,000 unique daily visitors four days after its launch.[20]

The site's revenue model generated only $3 million by near the end of 2023, as the company hemorrhaged cash while it contemplated ambitious expansion into products such as Messenger TV. At the time of the site's closure, The New York Times characterized The Messenger as "one of the biggest busts in the annals of online news".[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e Mullin, Benjamin (January 31, 2024). "The Messenger to Close After Less Than a Year". The New York Times. Archived from the original on January 31, 2024. Retrieved January 31, 2024.
  2. ^ a b Fischer, Sara. "The Messenger is shutting down". Axios. Archived from the original on January 31, 2024. Retrieved January 31, 2024.
  3. ^ Fischer, Sara (February 7, 2023). "Scoop: Jimmy Finkelstein raises $50M for new media venture". Axios. Archived from the original on May 21, 2023. Retrieved May 21, 2023.
  4. ^ a b c d e f Fischer, Sara (May 2, 2023). "The Messenger to launch May 15 with 150 journalists". Axios. Archived from the original on May 13, 2023. Retrieved May 21, 2023.
  5. ^ a b c d e Mullin, Benjamin (March 10, 2023). "The Messenger, a Media Start-Up, Aims to Build a Newsroom Fast". The New York Times. Archived from the original on May 8, 2023. Retrieved May 21, 2023.
  6. ^ Owen, Laura Hazard (March 22, 2023). "A forthcoming news site absorbs Grid (and its Middle Eastern funding, too)". NiemanLab. Archived from the original on April 25, 2023. Retrieved May 21, 2023.
  7. ^ Fischer, Sara (March 27, 2023). "Scoop: Grid News' website to shutter". Axios. Archived from the original on April 4, 2023. Retrieved May 21, 2023.
  8. ^ a b c Klein, Charlotte (March 28, 2023). "Inside the Very Tough Business of Trying to Disrupt Media". Vanity Fair. Archived from the original on February 1, 2024. Retrieved March 29, 2023.
  9. ^ Mullin, Benjamin (January 2, 2024). "The Messenger Plans Layoffs Amid Hunt for Cash". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on January 16, 2024. Retrieved January 4, 2024.
  10. ^ Tani, Max (January 3, 2024). "The Messenger's board weighed shutting it down over cash shortfalls: sources". Semafor. Archived from the original on January 23, 2024. Retrieved January 4, 2024.
  11. ^ Schwartz, Brian; Sherman, Alex (January 10, 2024). "The Messenger is counting on a sudden and dramatic advertising turnaround to survive". CNBC. Archived from the original on January 19, 2024. Retrieved January 10, 2024.
  12. ^ Fischer, Sara (February 1, 2024). "Former Messenger staffers file class-action lawsuit over news site shutdown". Axios. Retrieved February 1, 2024.
  13. ^ Ingrham, Matthew (May 18, 2023). "The Messenger is a news startup, but it feels like a blast from the past". Columbia Journalism Review. Archived from the original on May 21, 2023. Retrieved May 21, 2023.
  14. ^ a b c d e f Wagner, Laura (January 16, 2024). "Inside the Messenger's money-torching bet to make media great again". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Archived from the original on January 14, 2024. Retrieved January 23, 2024.
  15. ^ Hahn, Jason (June 8, 2023). "'Terrified' Family Calls 911 ... Over 'Aliens' Crash Landing in Backyard". The Messenger. Archived from the original on January 22, 2024. Retrieved January 23, 2024.
  16. ^ Feuerherd, Ben; Golding, Bruce (November 3, 2023). "NYPD Sent to Home of Mayor Adams' Fundraiser Hours Ahead of FBI Raid in Probe of Campaign Cash From Turkey (Exclusive)". The Messenger. Archived from the original on January 22, 2024. Retrieved January 23, 2024.
  17. ^ Brody, Lanae; Ramirez, Christina Dugan (September 12, 2023). "Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce 'Quietly Hanging Out': Source". The Messenger. Archived from the original on January 21, 2024. Retrieved January 23, 2024.
  18. ^ Tani, Max (December 17, 2023). "A fight over Trump and "balance" at The Messenger". Semafor. Archived from the original on January 23, 2024. Retrieved January 23, 2024.
  19. ^ Ullman, Harlan (October 13, 2023). "The Second October War: Straight From Hell". The Messenger. Archived from the original on January 22, 2024. Retrieved January 23, 2024.
  20. ^ a b Mullin, Benjamin (May 20, 2023). "Tensions Flare Inside The Messenger, a Fledgling News Site". The New York Times. Archived from the original on May 21, 2023. Retrieved May 21, 2023.
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