Bullish, the owner of leading crypto publication CoinDesk, abruptly dismissed three top editors on Friday, including editor-in-chief Kevin Reynolds, according to sources familiar with the matter, reports Leo Schwartz of Fortune.
Schwartz reports, “While Bullish promised to preserve CoinDesk’s editorial independence, the unusual decision to remove the article—which appeared to be accurate— about Sun sparked a backlash from the site’s journalists. The incident also led to the resignation of Matt Murray, the former Wall Street Journal editor-in-chief who Bullish appointed to lead a CoinDesk editorial committee after the acquisition.
“Friday’s layoff, which included deputy editors-in-chief Nick Baker and Marc Hochstein, throws the newsroom into further turmoil, with many staff members considering resignation, according to sources familiar. One senior staffer described the three top editors as the ‘heart of the newsroom’ to Fortune and said they were stunned and disappointed. They added that Bullish’s decision after the Sun controversy ‘sends the message that Bullish senior management is not seriously concerned with COinDesk’s independence as a newsroom.’
“Reynolds and Baker declined to comment. Hochstein did not respond to a request for comment. Bullish CEO Tom Farley, CoinDesk CEO Sara Stratoberdha, and a spokesperson for Sun did not immediately respond to a request for comment.”
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