May media roundup: Murdoch buys Vox and New York Magazine; Meta reorganizes around AI; Vice News relaunches; Pulitzers named

The useful part

Meta cut roughly 10% of its workforce as it shifted thousands of employees into AI-focused roles, and journalists at McClatchy pushed back against the use of content by withholding their bylines. Meanwhile, James Murdoch expanded his media portfolio with the acquisition of Vox Media and New York Magazine, while Vice News signaled a comeback under new ownership. James Murdoch buys Vox, New York Magazine James Murdoch, the youngest son of conservative media mogul and Fox News founder Rupert Murdoch, is building his own media empire.

How it works

• Murdoch is acquiring New York Magazine, Vox.com and the Vox Media Podcast Network in a $300 million deal with his company, Lupa Systems.
• Related debates are playing out in newsrooms across the country, as publishers experiment with new AI tools to streamline work that used to take hours, and some even use it to write full articles.
• Several category winners were awarded prizes for their work highlighting the dangers of Big Tech, including surveillance and scams.
• In her spare time, she enjoys gaming, watching too much TV, and chasing squirrels with her dog Cece.
• James and his wife, Kathryn, donated more than a million dollars to former President Joe Biden's campaign for the White House in 2020.

What to take from it

The most prevailing theme among this year's winners was outstanding coverage of the current political landscape, including stories about the Trump administration's federal government overhaul, expansion of executive power, conflicts of interest and immigration enforcement. He believes in climate change and slammed conservative media outlets in the wake of the January 6 Capitol riot just before Biden took office. In buying the liberal-leaning Vox, he is now set to have an ideological competitor to News Corp.

Example or evidence

• The awards serve as a powerful reminder of the importance of local news in holding power to account, even as the industry faces serious economic headwinds.
• The changes, which Meta first detailed in an internal memo in April, will include laying off about 8,000 employees and not filling approximately 6,000 open positions.
• (NBC News) More cuts were announced this month, including: NPR trims jobs in newsroom overhaul (NPR) AP finishes U.S.
• The podcast also serves as a thread connecting to the brand's soft relaunch, which will introduce a new but pared-down Vice News website.

Details worth keeping

Murdoch Buys Vox, Vice News Returns, 2026 Pulitzers Announced: (Politico) More deals that took place in May include: Meta previously confirmed the April memo's authenticity to NBC News.

Related coverage

• Webwire: Lupa Systems, James Murdoch's media and technology holding company, announced the completion of its acquisition of New York Magazine, the Vox Media Podcast Network, and Vox.
• Adexchanger: Remember last month when James Murdoch's Lupa Systems acquired roughly half of Vox Media, specifically New York Magazine, Vox and its podcast network? Well, the other shoe – err, sale – has dropped.
• Nytimes: The deal will put online publications like Popsugar and Eater under the same roof as Rolling Stone and Variety.
• Forbes: The acquisition highlights the profitability of podcast networks and prompts questions about the survival of diverse digital media portfolios.
• Adweek: The acquisition, which ADWEEK reported last month, creates a scaled portfolio of lifestyle brands with a large events footprint.