WWD in turmoil after staffer behind grievance forum canned

Already depressed morale at “fashion bible” WWD hit a new low when a reporter behind a forum letting staffers vent their grievances was unceremoniously canned last week, Media Ink has learned.

Los Angeles-based reporter Kali Hays was let go after four years at the Penske Media-owned fashion trade publication on April 19 amid pressure to delete an online document she had created originally for staffers to talk about newsroom issues, but which devolved into a forum for relentless complaints about the company’s management, including allegations of anti-Semitism, sexism and a general lack of diversity, sources said. Hays, a media and retail reporter who had been dispatched by WWD to LA two years earlier with a promotion to senior reporter, was informed about her last day on the job by editorial director Jim Fallon. No reason was given, sources said.