ALT The following is a statement from Writers Guild of America East Executive Director Sam Wheeler regarding layoffs at Hearst Magazines: “Today, the consistently anti-union Hearst Magazines became the latest media company to enact needless, irresponsible, and cruel layoffs of editorial employees. Unsurprisingly, the small army of senior executives with make-work jobs and self-important titles, who add little to nothing to build Hearst’s brands, apparently made it through today relatively unscathed. “Readers go to Hearst because of the talent and craft of its editorial employees. These workers make Hearst what it is. Until Hearst and the rest of the media industry recognize that the workers are the most valuable part of their companies and brands, they will continue their race to the bottom with no one to blame but themselves. “These workers deserved better.”
ALT The following is a statement from Writers Guild of America East Executive Director Sam Wheeler regarding layoffs at Hearst Magazines: “Today, the consistently anti-union Hearst Magazines became the latest media company to enact needless, irresponsible, and cruel layoffs of editorial employees. Unsurprisingly, the small army of senior executives with make-work jobs and self-important titles, who add little to nothing to build Hearst’s brands, apparently made it through today relatively unscathed. “Readers go to Hearst because of the talent and craft of its editorial employees. These workers make Hearst what it is. Until Hearst and the rest of the media industry recognize that the workers are the most valuable part of their companies and brands, they will continue their race to the bottom with no one to blame but themselves. “These workers deserved better.”
ALT The following is a statement from Writers Guild of America East Executive Director Sam Wheeler regarding layoffs at Hearst Magazines: “Today, the consistently anti-union Hearst Magazines became the latest media company to enact needless, irresponsible, and cruel layoffs of editorial employees. Unsurprisingly, the small army of senior executives with make-work jobs and self-important titles, who add little to nothing to build Hearst’s brands, apparently made it through today relatively unscathed. “Readers go to Hearst because of the talent and craft of its editorial employees. These workers make Hearst what it is. Until Hearst and the rest of the media industry recognize that the workers are the most valuable part of their companies and brands, they will continue their race to the bottom with no one to blame but themselves. “These workers deserved better.”
ALT This week, Hearst became the latest WGAE shop to strike a content deal with OpenAI. The threat OpenAI and other artificial intelligence tools pose to journalism and the public is inconceivable, especially given how these deals lack transparency about how Guild’s members work will be used to train AI models, generate plagiarized material or protect the intellectual property created by Guild members. It is abhorrent and irresponsible that media companies would trade in their credibility for quick cash at the same time numerous news organizations and writers are in litigation with OpenAi over these very issues. In addition, these deals further contribute to AI’s dangerous environmental impact. We cannot ignore the severe consequences AI poses to furthering climate change.
ALT The Writers Guild of America East maintains that generative artificial intelligence is theft and is a mandatory subject of bargaining. We will not stop fighting to protect our members' work and livelihood from this existential threat.
ALT This week, Hearst became the latest WGAE shop to strike a content deal with OpenAI. The threat OpenAI and other artificial intelligence tools pose to journalism and the public is inconceivable, especially given how these deals lack transparency about how Guild’s members work will be used to train AI models, generate plagiarized material or protect the intellectual property created by Guild members. It is abhorrent and irresponsible that media companies would trade in their credibility for quick cash at the same time numerous news organizations and writers are in litigation with OpenAi over these very issues. In addition, these deals further contribute to AI’s dangerous environmental impact. We cannot ignore the severe consequences AI poses to furthering climate change.
ALT The Writers Guild of America East maintains that generative artificial intelligence is theft and is a mandatory subject of bargaining. We will not stop fighting to protect our members' work and livelihood from this existential threat.
ALT Face the facts, A E Factual Studios, we're unionizing. WGA E Nonfiction Union.
