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Cambridge-based product review site to shutter, lay off at least 70
Owner Gannett blamed Google's changing algorithm for what they called a business decision, but Reviewed has also been accused of using AI to create content.
Reviewed, a Cambridge-based product review site affiliated with USA Today, will cease publication in November, with the site’s owner blaming changes to Google’s algorithm for faltering traffic.
The closure follows accusations of union-busting and publishing reviews written using artificial intelligence.
The site’s owner, Gannett, called the closure of the site a business decision and said they rely on Google for site traffic.
“After careful consideration and evaluation of our Reviewed business, we have decided to close the operation. We extend our sincere gratitude to our employees who have provided consumers with trusted product reviews,” a Reviewed spokesperson said.
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Gannett refused to comment on how many employees will be affected, but there are 70 people listed on the site’s masthead. The Boston Globe reported that 73 people will be laid off.
Seamus Bellamy, a senior editor at Reviewed, shared on LinkedIn that Reviewed announced last week that they will cease operations in November.
“Tech journalism—service journalism, for that matter—is a small industry,” Bellamy wrote. “It’s flattering to be thought of so highly by our weird little family of writers, editors and the marketers that make our jobs possible.”
Allegations of artificial intelligence and union-busting
Gannett has a presence in Massachusetts as the owner of multiple local papers, including the long-standing Patriot Ledger in Quincy, which lost its newsroom earlier this year as a cost-cutting measure. Since 2019, the company has consolidated local papers and laid off dozens of journalists.
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Last October, The NewsGuild of New York, which represents Reviewed workers, raised the alarm about seemingly AI-generated posts on the site. The posts were taken down after “an outcry from unionized staff,” the union said.
The Reviewed Union said on social media that an AI-detector found the presence of AI was “highly probable.” Gannett, however, denied the claim at the time and said the content was created by third-party freelancers.
According to the Guild, the Reviewed Union held a week-long strike in July “to protest bad-faith bargaining.” There are multiple pending investigations into Reviewed’s alleged unfair labor practices, according to the National Labor Relations Board’s database.
Susan DeCarava, the president of the NewsGuild of New York, said in a statement that the union is “deeply troubled” by the closure.
“The Guild-represented workers at Reviewed have consistently held the line against the unethical use of AI and management’s disregard for maintaining journalistic standards,” DeCarava said. “Gannett should have realized that effective solutions come from working with employees, not against them.”
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