Layoffs Hit Longform Journalism at Bleacher Report

Layoffs have hit Bleacher Report today. The area of the web site that is hit the hardest is BR Mag, their longform sports journalism vertical. BR Mag's deputy editor Elliot Pohnl announced the shuttering on Twitter this afternoon:

A source said that writers Howard Beck and Tyler Dunne were among the cuts. Beck is a well known NBA writer whom Bleacher Report hired away from the New York Times in 2013. Dunne is an NFL feature writer, whose work includes a lengthy story on the rift between Aaron Rodgers and Mike McCarthy. Both writers declined to comment to Outkick.

The news on Beck's departure was first reported by Ben Koo at Awful Announcing; he also reported that the writer Yaron Weitzman and Bleacher Report editor-in-chief Ben Osborne are out, and that there were at least 10 cuts.

A source said that Bleacher Report will continue to do some longform journalism on their web site, but that it will be on an "as-needed" basis as opposed to having the BR Mag vertical devoted to it.

Update: Outkick has learned that the writer David Gardner was also amongst the cuts. Gardner also declined to comment.