Photo Illustration by Elizabeth Brockway/The Daily Beast/Getty
Welcome to this week’s edition of Confider, the media newsletter that pulls back the curtain to reveal what’s really going on inside the world’s most powerful navel-gazing industry. Subscribe here and send your questions, tips, and complaints here.
EXCLUSIVE — LA MAG MANIA: The meltdown over at Los Angeles continues as the once-esteemed magazine’s new owners cook up creative ways to stiff writers past and present, Confider has learned. Read the full exclusive Confider story here.
EXCLUSIVE — THE QUEEN HAS LANDED: So farewell then to New York Post gossip queen Emily Smith who just over a year after being “promoted” to “editorial director” of Page Six announced Friday she is leaving the Murdoch-owned tabloid. Smith will join Atlanta-based PR shop 360 Media after the Post’s editor-in-chief and Murdoch boy wonder, Keith Poole, decided not to renew her contract, Confider has learned. We broke the news last June that Smith was removed from her role as editor of the Post’s marquee gossip column following an HR investigation over alleged workplace misconduct. Staff at the Post had complained that Smith was a bully and created a toxic work environment, forcing Poole to dream up a new title and role for her. Smith’s exit note, obtained and reviewed by Confider, touted her scoops—including Anthony Scaramucci’s divorce, Jeff Bezos’ affair, and Donald Trump Jr.’s divorce—but Post staffers were quick to point out to Confider that all of the stories mentioned were bylines Smith shared with colleagues. No word yet on a replacement at the Post for “editorial director” of Page Six. A Post spokesperson told Confider: “She is leaving to pursue other opportunities.” Smith declined to comment and Poole did not respond to a request for comment.