Teen Vogue's troubles are another data point for my theory that magazines, newspapers and other media outlets embrace extremist leftist politics right before they go under.
Condé Nast to Cease Teen Vogue in Print, Cut 80 Jobs and Lower Mag Frequencies
The New York-based publisher, which has instilled a hiring freeze, will slash about 80 jobs, equal to a decrease of about 2.5 percent of its 3,000-person workforce. Budgets across departments are also expected to get a haircut, with the worst-performing divisions and magazines getting cuts of up to 20 percent.
As part of that mandate, Condé is reducing the frequencies of most of its titles and will shutter Teen Vogue in print. Monthly titles Vanity Fair, Vogue, Wired and The New Yorker, which publishes weekly, will not see any frequency changes. Brides, which runs six times a year, will also continue at that publishing pace.
Much as I would lose to see Wired and the New Yorker die, that isn't happening just yet.
But if you wanted an explanation why Teen Vogue was suddenly the voice for every crazy leftist agenda, the answer has been revealed. If you have a struggling publication that's no longer finding an audience, you start chasing viral content. And left-wing viral content is about the easiest to switch to. Even if it fails, no one in the industry is going to think badly of you if your magazine went down while embracing leftist politics. So it's a win-win for everyone. Or almost everyone. Not counting America.
Print magazines aimed at teens generally have no future anyway. Why not go out in a blaze of leftist glory? If nothing else, it will get you noticed.