For the Record

Bustle Media Group Recognizes WGA East Unit:

Bustle Media Group "has voluntarily recognized the Writers Guild of America East for the purpose of collective bargaining after an 'overwhelming' majority of employees in that unit signed authorization cards," Dave McNary of Variety reported Thursday. The new collective bargaining unit will encompass "approximately 200 editorial, video, design and social staffers from Bustle, Elite Daily, Input, Inverse, Mic, Nylon, Romper and The Zoe Report." Founder and chief executive Bryan Goldberg said the media company anticipates a "productive and mutually respectful dialogue with the WGAE as we work through this process."

Hearst's Chirichella Succeeds Young:

Hearst has "named Debi Chirichella as president of its magazines group, replacing Troy Young, who resigned in July over explosive allegations that he had sexually harassed female staffers," according to Keith J. Kelly of the New York Post. Chirichella, who was named acting president following Young's departure, "will now oversee titles including Cosmopolitan, Harper’s Bazaar, Esquire and Town & Country." She joined the media company as its chief financial officer in 2007. "Debi has been a key part of our Magazine company leadership team for almost a decade and has a very strong command of all aspects of this business,” said Steve Swartz, the company's chief executive.

Escobar Appointed Inquirer Editor:

Gabriel Escobar has been appointed senior vice president and editor of The Philadelphia Inquirer, Anna Orso and Jesenia De Moya Correa reported Wednesday. He takes over the seniormost position in the newsroom, which was left vacant when past Pulitzer juror and Executive Editor Stan Wischnowski resigned in June "after the paper ran a widely panned headline, 'Buildings Matter, Too,' that sparked outrage within and outside the company about the newsroom's coverage priorities and its treatment of journalists of color." Following a career centered around international and local reporting, the Colombia-born Escobar joined The Inquirer as its metropolitan editor in 2007 before ascending to the second-highest editorship at the publication in 2017. "I value two things equally: the journalism that we produce and the collegial newsroom,” he said. "I don’t think that the two can exist without each other."

New Yorker Fires Toobin:

The New Yorker "has fired the star journalist Jeffrey Toobin after an investigation into his behavior during a work video call last month," Katie Robertson of The New York Times reported Wednesday. "I want to assure everyone that we take workplace matters seriously," Condé Nast Chief People Officer Stan Duncan said in a staff note obtained by Robertson. "We are committed to fostering an environment where everyone feels respected and upholds our standards of conduct." CNN, which has employed Toobin as a legal analyst since 2002, has not commented on his status since he took leave "[to deal] with a personal issue" following the incident. (New Yorker Editor David Remnick is a member of the Pulitzer Prize Board.)

Reuters Launches B2B News Service:

Reuters "is launching Reuters Professional, a new business line that will include news, analysis and events for decision-makers," Sara Fischer of Axios reported Monday. The service aims to influence "individual professionals more directly, which it believes brings significant financial opportunity," with unit head Josh London estimating that the platform is entering a "$36 billion industry." As part of the initiative, the wire service will launch the Reuters Next leadership summit. In 2014, Reuters sold a variety of B2B publications (including the private equity-oriented PEHub) to Maryland-based UCG after the properties "fizzled out."

Los Angeles Times, Tribune Publishing Settle Discrimination Lawsuit:

The Los Angeles Times and former owner Tribune Publishing "have agreed to pay $3 million to settle a lawsuit that said minority journalists and women were paid less than white reporters," according to an Associated Press wire report. A multiethnic group of 240 current and former reporters and editors will benefit from the suit, which received preliminary approval from a judge in San Bernardino County last month. Salary data provided to the newspaper's union earlier this year "showed that women and people of color were earning less than their white male colleagues," said 2009 Explanatory Reporting winner Bettina Boxall, who served as the lead plaintiff in the lawsuit.

Arizona Daily Star/ProPublica Partnership Includes Plain Language Translations:

An Arizona Daily Star story produced in partnership with the ProPublica Local Reporting Network is being offered in "plain language — a type of text that uses common words, short sentences, and clear structure to make information more accessible to those with intellectual and developmental disabilities," Sarah Scire of NiemanLab reported Monday. "You can then tell a person with an intellectual disability, ‘Oh, you don’t understand, so I’ll make decisions on your behalf,’" said Becca Monteleone, a professor of disability studies at the University of Toledo who prepared the translations. "I think that’s a really dangerous paradigm to set up. When you write things down in plain language, more people have access to the same information." (ProPublica Editor-in-Chief Stephen Engelberg is a co-chair of the Pulitzer Prize Board.)

Rare Stolen Books Returned to Owners:

Hundreds of rare books (including works by Newton and Galileo) that were stolen in a January 2017 heist in west London have been returned to their rightful owners, Mark Brown of the Guardian reported Tuesday. The books, which were en route to a specialist auction in Las Vegas, were seized by rappelling burglars during a five-hour heist and later smuggled to Neamt in northeast Romania. According to the Metropolitan Police, "83 of the books had some damage, mainly caused by water and mould due to being hidden underground," while some spines also were broken. Four books remain missing, including a Chinese photo album from 1920 and a 15th century Italian illuminated manuscript.

Theater Lobby Advocates Lame-Duck Stimulus:

The National Association of Theater Owners has called on Congress "to pass a stimulus package that includes $15 billion in relief for independent entertainment venues" during this year's lame-duck session, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer Ryan Faughnder reported Monday. The Save Our Stages bill, which is co-sponsored by Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) and Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), "would allow Small Business Administration grants equaling 45% of a venue’s 2019 revenue or $12 million." Additionally, venues would be eligible for a second grant equal to 50% of the initial award. "Local communities across the nation are and will be permanently damaged," said John Fithian, president and chief executive of the organization.

Colorado Publisher Buys Out-of-State-Owned Denver-Area Newspapers:

Colorado Community Newspapers, which owns more than 20 newspapers in the Denver metropolitan area, has announced the purchase of seven additional area newspapers from the Kentucky-based Landmark Community Newspapers, according to Corey Hutchins of The Colorado Independent. "[We've] seen a lift recently in advertising, and definitely have seen a lift in terms of people wanting to contribute to journalism,” said Jerry Healey, the president and publisher of CCM. “So I feel pretty bullish on this.” The newspapers include such publications as the Brighton Standard Blade, the Fort Lupton Press and the Commerce City Sentinel Express.