Bloomberg is set to cut at least 100 editorial positions before Labor Day, including political and government reporters.
The New York Post reported Wednesday that the cuts are an effort by former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg to trim the fat from the media company’s editorial ranks.
“Many of the layoffs are expected to target politics and government reporters out of the New York and Washington, DC, bureaus,” the Post wrote.
The upcoming round of layoffs comes after reports surfaced of tensions between Bloomberg’s D.C. bureau and the New York political team helmed by the “Game Change” duo of Mark Halperin and John Heilemann.
The Huffington Post‘s Michael Calderone reported in June about discontent spreading throughout the D.C. bureau, including “low morale,” “high employee turnover” and a “leadership void.”
Bloomberg Chief Content Officer Josh Tyrangiel refuted suggestions that the media company’s coverage will change in a statement to TheWrap: “We will continue to cover all aspects of government and politics in Washington, New York and beyond. Any reporting that indicates otherwise is blatantly false.”
“We are fully committed to Bloomberg Politics, including the bold new site, TV program and digital video operation that we launched last October,” Bloomberg Media CEO Justin B. Smith continued. “In 10 months, traffic to Bloomberg’s political coverage has more than doubled, “With All Due Respect” has interviewed 17 presidential candidates, and our reporters continue to drive the political conversation. The brand is a key pillar of our strategy to build the leading global multi-platform media company.”