Ex-Outside staffers say leadership ‘seems intent on destroying’ magazine legacy

BOULDER — Dozens of former Outside Magazine editorial staffers and contributing writers recently penned a letter to leadership at Outside Interactive Inc., the Boulder-based publisher of a portfolio of outdoor publications and technology platforms, demanding that their names be removed from the magazine’s masthead and accusing the company of mismanagement that risks tarnishing its nearly five-decades-old legacy and reputation.

“We are writing to express our dismay at the layoffs of Outside’s longtime editorial leadership and budget cuts that place an undue strain on the hardworking staff that remain. We are equally alarmed by directives from the company’s leadership asking editors to refrain from investigative journalism and political coverage,” said the letter, which was addressed to Outside CEO Robin Thurston and was posted by its signatories on social media last week.

“Despite the vast sums of money you have raised to consolidate the adventure media industry, your company now seems intent on destroying what Outside once stood for: bold, spirited journalism,” the letter continued. “We are not on board for that. Effective immediately, please remove our names from Outside’s masthead”

Outside has had several rounds of layoffs in recent years, according to media reports, including two in 2022 and one round this year, which came soon after the company acquired travel and hospitality software platform Inntopia for an undisclosed sum. 

Outside leadership told BizWest that the company will honor the letter-writers’ request to have their names removed from publication’s masthead. 

“While we’re disappointed they no longer wish to be associated with Outside Magazine, we appreciate their contributions to our publication and wish them the best going forward,” an Outside spokesperson said in an emailed statement. “Our focus remains on supporting the talented editorial staff and contributors who share our commitment to informing, inspiring, and connecting outdoor enthusiasts around the globe.”

The company acknowledged the job cuts but defended their necessity and the editorial integrity of its publications. 

“While it’s true we consolidated and reorganized certain editorial functions, Outside still employs over 65 editorial professionals across multiple brands,” Outside’s spokesperson told BizWest. “This ensures we can continue delivering the ambitious storytelling readers expect, rather than dismantling it. These organizational changes were made in response to industry-wide headwinds, not to undercut the quality or integrity of our reporting.”

Pocket Outdoor Media Inc., which became Outside Interactive Inc., bought Outside Magazine and a number of other travel and outdoor titles in 2021 when it took over Outside Integrated Media LLC. The acquisitions resulted from the closing of the company’s series B financing round led by Sequoia Capital Operations LLC, which invested $150 million in the company and gained a position on the company’s board of directors.

In the years since the acquisition, Outside has focused on diversifying its holdings beyond print publications to include a variety of apps, as well as the Outside Festival, an annual event with live music, film screenings, vendors and gear demonstrations that debuted in Denver last summer. 

“Evolution is necessary; dispensing with journalistic rigor is not,” the ex-staffers wrote to Thurston. “We urge you to return to the values that made Outside successful, and that it must embrace to navigate an uncertain future.”

The company, in a statement to BizWest, pushed back on the ex-staffers’ suggestion that investment in software and other types of media have detracted from Outside’s editorial mission.

“We appreciate Outside’s nearly fifty-year tradition of bold, adventurous reporting, and we believe that strategic adaptations — like integrating new digital tools, services and formats — are essential for preserving and expanding that legacy into the future,” the company said. “Far from ‘destroying’ Outside, these steps are intended to ensure the brand remains financially stable and editorially impactful, so we can keep telling the big, spirited stories that our community values.”

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