The same media bloodbath that has gutted MSNBC and CNN since the 2024 election is now coming to ABC News.
The network is laying off staff and even completely cut ties to 538, the data and polling outfit created by Nate Silver, who left the network in 2023.
These recent moves came from parent company Disney, which is dealing with its own issues.
The Hill reported:
ABC News eliminating 538 amid layoffs
ABC News Group is eliminating its political arm, 538, which specializes in polling, surveys and data, amid wider layoffs at the Walt Disney parent company, according to information obtained by The Hill.
The layoffs are expected to impact 200 employees which represents under 6 percent of the staff at the company and Disney Entertainment Networks unit. Fifteen employees at 538 will be let go.
The Wall Street Journal first reported the reductions.
The move is a part of broader consolidation efforts that include changes to ABC’s on air programming, sources told The Hill.
The network’s “20/20” and “Nightline” shows are set to be merged into one broadcast segment while the “Good Morning America” production team will be shaved down into management overseen by one person, Simone Swink.
Media critic John Nolte of Breitbart News suggests that ABC letting go of 538 is a big deal:
The most interesting nugget is the news that ABC is shutting down the once-popular 538, the site created by Nate Silver touted as a data-driven piece of science that would predict the outcome of elections, along with things like the Oscars and sporting events.
Under Silver the site did pretty well … until the arrival of Donald Trump in 2016. Suddenly, “data-driven” began to look more like “wishcasting,” and the site became a joke. Silver left his creation in 2023, 538 blew the 2024 presidential election, and now it’s gone. So sad. Buh-bye.
Giving up 538 is a Big Deal. The whole idea behind that site was not to reflect what public opinion said in the polling, but to shape public opinion—especially in 2016, 2020, and 2024. Rasmussen is one of the most accurate pollsters out there and has been for 20 years. Still, 538 dismissed their polls. That alone spoke volumes about the site’s credibility.
The View is part of ABC News. If the network really wanted to make improvements, they might want to think about cutting that show. It’s politically toxic.
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