Consumer Reports to fold Consumerist site into its own

Consumer Reports, which acquired the Consumerist website in 2009, has decided to fold the personal finance website into its own.

The move will mean that an undetermined number of Consumerist staff members will be laid off. Its masthead lists an editorial staff of five.

On its website is a post that states, “We’re deeply proud of all the work we’ve done on behalf of consumers, from exposing shady practices by secretive cable companies to pushing for action against dodgy payday lenders.”

The move upset its current staffers. Deputy executive editor Chris Morran tweeted:

The move comes less than two months after Meg Marco, executive editor and head of product, left Consumerist to become editor of digital content strategy at The Wall Street Journal.

“Consumerist has long been a unique and important voice in reporting on the issues that matter to consumers and their wallets,” said Consumer Reports spokeswoman Barrie Rosen. “We are now transitioning Consumerist from a standalone site, thoughtfully incorporating key elements of Consumerist content in new ways within Consumer Reports.”

Consumerist was founded in 2005 by Gawker Media. It has between 2 million and 4 million monthly unique visitors.