A round of layoffs at Corus Entertainment last week has left a number of talented and hardworking journalists without a job including some from their flagship television news division Global News.
The layoffs come after a disappointing quarter for Corus, which saw a net earnings dip to $31.4 million, compared to $76.2 million in the same period in 2022.
While television segment revenue fell by 11 per cent to $401.5 million, radio revenue saw a slight rise, up $600,000 from the first quarter of 2022 to $29.7 million.
Itâs the first wave of significant layoffs for reporters at Global News since July 2020, when Corus cut a number of digital positions in a move away from content focused on lifestyle and entertainment.
The layoffs at Global News follow a recent 11 per cent employee cut at PostMedia, as well as a slew of dismissals by Overstory Media Group.
Corus, which launched its free ad-supported streaming service PlutoTV in November 2022, makes all of its profits from content, so itâs curious that many of those affected by the latest round of layoffs are part of digital content production.
High profile journalists cut
Among the most shocking names now out of work is national reporter Rachel Gilmore, who catapulted Global Newsâ TikTok coverage and broke key stories about the 2022 occupation of Ottawa.
âI poured my heart and soul into the work I did alongside amazing colleagues, and I dealt with some horrifying backlash for it,â Gilmore said in a Thursday tweet. âBut I wouldnât change a thing.â
Two weeks before being laid off, Gilmore was one of three reporters who received the Tara Singh Hayer Memorial Award.
âIt recognizes a journalist who made an important contribution to press freedom â and who has taken personal risks or suffered physical reprisals for their work,â she tweeted.
As part of her time at Global News, Gilmore spent two months living and working in Tunisia, where she helped trained women and girls tell their stories.
âIâm not sure whatâs next. Itâs a bit scary to be on my own, especially knowing how much hate is out there,â Gilmore tweeted. âBut I know Iâm not really alone.â
Gilmore faced significant harassment for her work for Global
While Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre campaigned to succeed Erin OâToole in the summer of 2022, Gilmore found herself at the centre of a deliberate and targeted disinformation campaign, not just by conspiracy theorists like Jeremy McKenzie, but by the prospective future prime minister as well.
At the time, the Coalition for Women in Journalism (CFWIJ) condemned the âvile abuseâ towards Gilmore, while pointing out the harassment extended to her loved ones.
READ MORE: Poilievreâs attacks on reporter âantithetical to democratic valuesâ
Along with Saba Eitizaz of the Toronto Star and Hill Times columnist Erica Ifill, Gilmore faced an onslaught of vitriolic harassment for their coverage â with the abuse escalating to threats of rape and death.
But with Gilmore now out of a job, Global News no longer has the responsibility to ensure her safety, leaving the now unemployed reporter to deal with the ongoing misogynistic attacks alone.
On Sunday, Gilmore shared screenshots on Twitter showing some of the emails sheâs received since she was laid off.
The sample ranged from sexist slurs and profanity to hoping Gilmore will become homeless, or worse, contract a fatal form of brain cancer.
âThis is truly the definition of kicking someone when theyâre done (sic),â she tweeted. âI am a human being.â
Union warns cutting journalism jobs hurts democracy
For Unifor, the union representing more than 800 media members at Corus, the changes at Global News arenât just an issue for newsrooms, it also puts democracy at risk.
âIt is becoming impossibly difficult for media workers to face the news of restructuring and layoffs on a regular basis,â said Unifor National President Lana Payne in a Thursday news release.
Calling journalists âthe backbone of our democracy,â Payne added that Unifor will continue to support its members.
âWe need to save local news by investing in newsrooms â not cutting them,â she said.
Randy Kitt, Uniforâs Director of Media, noted the CRTC has âallowed foreign broadcasters to systematically dismantle the business model for local news in this country.â
In a statement to rabble.ca, a Corus spokesperson did not answer direct questions about how many employees were laid off or if additional layoffs can be expected in 2023.
Instead, the statement spoke of âmanaging the post-pandemic climateâ and âunexpected economic uncertaintyâ as factors that led to the staff layoffs.
â…[We] are conducting an enterprise-wide cost review, looking at all expenses and operations,â the statement reads, while adding that these decisions are ânever easy.â
Corus confirmed âa small number of exits in various business areas and corporate functions,â while noting no station or office closures have been announced.
âWe remain focused on the execution of our strategic plan as we make smart, targeted investments to ensure the long-term resiliency of Corus Entertainment,â reads a statement from a Corus spokesperson.
In a Friday tweet, CFWIJ founding director Kiran Nazish showed her support for the women who were laid off at Global.
â[T]his is completely a loss of journalism, the mediaâs ability to access and inform the public and hurts democracy,â Nazish wrote.
Nazishâs tweet followed a press release issued by the CFWIJ calling on Corus Entertainment to provide an explanation for the layoffs.
âThis decision sends a chilling message to Canadian women journalists facing online harassment,â the release reads. âMedia companies should support their female employees. Laying off women journalists in a vague restructuring effort is not acceptable.â