Lucy Danziger was fired as the editor in chief of SELF magazine, just days after the magazine came under fire for mocking a cancer patient. Coincidence?
As iMediaEthics previously reported, SELF and Danziger issued numerous apologies after it labeled a photo of two women running a race in tutus “lame.”
But, after publication, it was revealed that the women sell the tutus to raise money for charity, and the picture showed one of the women running her first marathon after being diagnosed with a brain tumor. Adding to that, SELF had asked the runners for permission to use their photo but didn’t tell them they planned to make fun of them.
The news of Danziger’s ouster from SELF came April 3, just six days after she published an apology on SELF’s website in response to the controversy that roared through social media and the web. She will be replaced by Cosmopolitan‘s executive editor Joyce Chang, effective May 1, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
A Conde Nast spokesperson confirmed with iMediaEthics by phone, “Lucy is leaving. We hired Joyce who will be joining the company.” We also were sent an April 3 press release about the move.
Conde Nast also announced SELF‘s publisher, Laura McEwene, was leaving, the NY Post’s Keith Kelly reported.
No one reason was given for the removal of Danziger as editor. Ad Week noted that the magazine’s sales and ad pages were both down.
The NY Post’s Kelly cited anonymous “insiders” who linked her firing to a clash with Conde Nast artistic director Anna Wintour who wanted to “push [SELF] further from its roots as a fitness book,” and suggested that the tutu incident was a final straw.
Women’s Wear Daily reported that its anonymous source said Danziger’s replacement “has been interviewing at Self since January,” which would date the decision to make a change of editor to before the tutu incident.
Philly Mag noted, “Now, there’s no evidence Danziger was ousted for the whole tutu-shaming brouhaha. But we’ve got to say, the timing does seem a bit suspect, don’t you think?”
A Conde Nast spokesperson declined to comment on the record about the reason for Danziger’s leave.