Cambridge-based product review site to close, laying off at least 70 staff

Local news

Owner Gannett blamed Google’s algorithm change on what it called a business decision, but Reviewed has also been accused of using AI to create content.

Reviewed, a Cambridge-based product review site affiliated with USA Today, will cease publication in November, with the site’s owner blaming the drop in traffic on changes to Google’s algorithm.

The closure follows accusations of union-busting and publishing reviews written using artificial intelligence.

The site’s owner, Gannett, called the site’s shutdown a business decision and said it relied on Google for traffic to the site.

“After carefully reviewing and evaluating our Reviewed business, we have decided to close the company. We extend our sincere thanks to our employees who have provided consumers with trusted product reviews,” a Reviewed spokesperson said.

Gannett declined to comment on how many employees will be affected, but the site lists 70 people. The Boston Globe It was announced that 73 people would be made redundant.

Reviewed Editor-in-Chief Seamus Bellamy shared on LinkedIn that Reviewed announced last week that it would be shutting down in November.

“Tech journalism, and even service journalism, is a small industry,” Bellamy wrote. “It’s flattering to be so well-regarded by our strange little family of writers, editors, and marketers who make our work possible.”

Allegations of artificial intelligence and union busting

Gannett is present in Massachusetts as the owner of several local newspapers, including the Great Book of Patriots in Quincy, which lost its newsroom earlier this year as part of a cost-cutting measure. Since 2019, the company has consolidated local newspapers and laid off dozens of journalists.

Last October, the NewsGuild of New York, which represents Reviewed employees, raised the alarm about apparently AI-generated posts on the site. The posts were removed after “an outcry from unionized staff,” the union said.

The Reviewed Union said on social media that an AI detector had revealed that the presence of AI was “highly likely.” Gannett, however, denied the claim at the time and said the content was created by third-party freelancers.

BREAK: @Gannett made another attempt at using AI this week, posting a series of AI-generated reviews on its consumer review site @Notified.

After an outcry from unionized staff, the poles appear to have been removed.

Here is a sample. 2 different products, almost identical reviews. pic.twitter.com/30MHJBM76M

— New York NewsGuild (@nyguild) October 24, 2023

According to the Guild, the Reviewed union staged a weeklong strike in July “to protest bad-faith bargaining.” Multiple investigations are ongoing into Reviewed’s alleged unfair labor practices, according to the National Labor Relations Board’s database.

Susan DeCarava, president of the NewsGuild of New York, said in a statement that the union was “deeply troubled” by the shutdown.

“Reviewed workers, represented by the Guild, have consistently defended the unethical use of AI and management’s disregard for journalistic standards,” DeCarava said. “Gannett should have understood that effective solutions come from working with employees, not against them.”