How Jimmy Finkelstein Wooed Me to The Messenger—And Left Me High and Dry

Covering Putin’s Russia • Big Tech BS • Inside the Hollywood Issue [View in your browser]( | [Update your preferences](newsletter=vf) [Vanity Fair Hive logo image]( How Jimmy Finkelstein Wooed Me to The Messenger—And Left Me High and Dry Media industry convulsions continued this week with news of hundreds of planned layoffs across [Vice](, [WAMU](, and [Engadget](. Beyond the sheer numbers, of course, are individual stories, and political reporter Amie Parnes [opened up]( this week about her personal experience of being wooed to The Messenger by Jimmy Finkelstein, only to so far be denied a promised severance following the site’s recent collapse. Also this week, Charlotte Klein [explored]( the challenges of covering Vladimir Putin’s Russia in light of Alexey Navalny’s death; Molly Jong-Fast [argued]( why Donald Trump can’t run away from his crucial role in ending Roe; and on Inside the Hive, Brian Stelter [chatted with]( Kara Swisher about how she cuts through Big Tech’s BS. Plus, don’t forget to check out Vanity Fair’s 30th annual [Hollywood Issue](, featuring Bradley Cooper, Natalie Portman, Pedro Pascal, and more looking at where the industry turns next. See you Monday! —Michael Calderone, editor [Image may contain: Chair, Furniture, Indoors, Accessories, Bag, Handbag, Table, Person, Cafeteria, and Restaurant]( [How Jimmy Finkelstein Wooed Me to The Messenger—And Left Me High and Dry]( By [Amie Parnes]( [I have yet to receive a promised severance following the media start-up’s abrupt collapse, which left hundreds of us without jobs.]( [Read more button](   [“Reading Signals and Reading Between the Lines”: The Challenges of Covering Putin’s Russia]( By [Charlotte Klein]( [The scramble among Western news organizations to confirm the death of opposition leader Alexey Navalny highlighted the difficulty of getting reliable information out of the increasingly closed-off country.]( [Read more button](   [Kara Swisher on Donald Trump’s Depravity, Elon Musk’s Ego, and Making Mark Zuckerberg Sweat]( By [Brian Stelter]( [The tech writer imparts a few lessons on how to see through Big Tech’s BS and delivers a blunt message for the industry’s biggest buffoons: “I’m not your friend.”]( [Read more button](   [Donald Trump Can’t Run Away From Roe]( By [Molly Jong-Fast]( [The guy most responsible for ending federal abortion rights now wants to make a “deal.”]( [Read more button](   [Image may contain: Tie, Accessories, Accessory, Electrical Device, Microphone, Human, Person, Suit, Coat, and Clothing]( [Inside Vanity Fair’s 30th Annual Hollywood Issue]( By [Vanity Fair]( [Bradley Cooper, Natalie Portman, Pedro Pascal, and more open up about the risks they’ve taken—and where they see the industry going.]( [Read more button](   Get on the list Subscribe to our Hollywood newsletter for your essential industry and awards-season news, every day. [Sign Up Now](   [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Instagram]( [LinkedIn](   This e-mail was sent to you by The Hive. To ensure delivery to your inbox (not bulk or junk folders), please add our e-mail address, vanityfair@newsletter.vf.com, to your address book. View our [Privacy Policy]( [Unsubscribe]( Sent from Condé Nast, 1 World Trade Center, New York, NY 10007 Copyright © 2024 Condé Nast