When Newsweek announced in October its plan to go completely digital, it was apparent that some staff members would not be there to see the 80 year-old news magazine’s conversion from print to online.
Among those getting the boot is Pulitzer-prize-winning fashion journalist Robin Givhan. But she is not letting the layoff stop her from looking into the future.
In an email to Journal-isms on Saturday, Givhan wrote, “‘Sad to say that yes, it is true. Quite the ‘Merry Christmas.’ . . . I’m in New York as we speak doing book research and happily following up on any new career opportunities.”
Givhan won a Pulitzer Prize for her fashion critiques in 2006 for the Style section of the Washington Post. The Pulitzer Prize website called Givhan’s articles “witty, closely observed essays that transform fashion criticism into cultural criticism.”
This isn’t the first time the Princeton graduate has had a controversial leave from a well-respected position.
In 2010, Givhan left her position as a style correspondent for the Washington Post due to reported “disagreements with the then-Style editor.”
During her departure from the Post, Givhan told Women’s Wear Daily that “I’ve been a sniffling, blubbering wreck for the last few days. The Post has been an unbelievable place to work. But I think it was time for me to have a new adventure, and Tina’s vision of what Newsweek can be is incredibly enticing and, I think, spot-on.”
However, it appears that Newsweek editor Tina Brown’s vision of a digital news magazine did not include Givhan.
Robin tweeted “Thank you!” and “I love you both” on her Twitter account today after a couple followers tweeted her words of encouragement and praise.
Newsweek was expected to lose $22 million this year before it was announced that their print edition will permanently end, according to a source from Bloomberg.
Others that are reportedly leaving Newsweek and The Daily Beast include managing editor Tom Watson, features director David Jefferson and culture editor Kara Cutruzzula.
Follow Brittany Tom on Twitter @brittanyrtom