Fox News laid off between 12 and 20 staffers Tuesday, the most high-profile being Fox News politics editor Chris Stirewalt.
Former Fox News staffer-turned-The Daily Beast contributor Diana Falzone was first to report news of the staff layoffs Tuesday morning, while Washington Post’s Sarah Ellison broke news of Stirewalt’s firing Tuesday afternoon.
In September, the network announced an ongoing assessment into how to better streamline its business and operate more efficiently. Today’s cuts of less than 3% of digital staff was part of that, according to a person familiar with the matter.
“As we conclude the 2020 election cycle, Fox News Digital has realigned its business and reporting structure to meet the demands of this new era,” a Fox News spokesperson told TVNewser. “We are confident these changes will ensure the platform continues to deliver breakthrough reporting and insightful analysis surrounding major issues, both stateside and abroad.”
The spokesperson declined comment on Stirewalt’s status, citing employee confidentiality.
Stirewalt is a Fox News vet who has been on the air sparingly since the presidential election. He was on the 2020 Fox News Decision Desk that called Arizona on election night in favor of Joe Biden. The decision angered a significant segment of the network’s right-leaning audience, including President Trump. Fox News’ highly-respected Decision Desk ended up being accurate in its call.
In addition to running Fox News digital politics operation and offering political analysis on TV, Stirewalt co-hosted the Fox News politics podcast I’ll Tell You What, with Dana Perino.
TVNewser also learned Tuesday evening that longtime Fox News executive and managing editor of the network’s Washington bureau Bill Sammon announced his retirement to staff on Monday.
Sammon’s retirement was previously reported byThe Hill.