Andrew Wilkinson and former media editor-in-chief Farhan Mohamed founded Overstoy Media Group (OMG) on the promise of revitalizing local news. But after the firing of four star journalists on January 30th, Mohamed admits the company was losing money on hard journalism - and that moving to a ”community” focus would save them.

Current and former staff have expressed concern at the direction of the company - and some allege that OMG executives tried to interfere in editorial content. They paint a picture of a workplace where failed expectations of growth often lead to layoffs.

Cherise Seucharan and Jonathan Goldsbie examine the fallout at OMG, and what it means for journalism, hopeful tech millionaires, and the state of democracy overall.    

Credits: Cherise Seucharan, Jonathan Goldsbie, Tristan Capacchione, Annette Ejiofor

Further reading:

• A Bold Experiment in Local Journalism Hits the Rocks, The Tyee, Feb. 3, 2023
• Capital Daily staff refused to promote the boss’ company. Then they got fired, Ricochet, Feb. 10, 2023
• Fifty new outlets, 250 journalists: Canadian startup unveils plan to revive local news, The Guardian, May 3, 2021

Sponsors: Rotman Executive Programs, HelloFresh

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