Splinter is an American left-leaning news and opinion website owned by Paste. It launched in July 2017 under Univision Communications and ceased publication in November 2019 following a sale to G/O Media. The dormant publication was acquired by Paste in November 2023 and relaunched March 26, 2024.[1]
 | |
Type of site | Website |
|---|---|
| Owner |
|
| Editor | Jacob Weindling |
| URL | splinter |
| Commercial | Yes |
| Registration | Optional |
| Launched | July 24, 2017 |
| Current status | Active |
Content
editThe site is a news and opinion website. According to former owner Fusion Media Group, the site's purpose is to offer a sharp point of view, amplify underrepresented voices, shine a light on systemic inequality, and skewer politicians when necessary as well as contextualize current events, challenge archaic establishments, and champion the historically oppressed.[2] They are generally described as having a left-leaning editorial stance.[3][4]
History
editSplinter began as the article part of the Fusion TV website in 2013. Univision later acquired the assets of Gizmodo Media Group which gave it a significant web presence. The decision was made to separate the Fusion TV channel from its news and editorial site. The reasoning for the change being that it would provide clarity between the news site and the cable network whose content was broadening and moving further and further away from what the site was publishing.[5][6]
On July 24, 2017, Fusion relaunched its article-based online presence under the brand Splinter while things relating to the channel itself remained at Fusion.net branded as Fusion TV. The article-based half of Fusion's website content switched to the fusion.kinja.com domain in May prior to the re-branding.[7] Splinter began under the Gizmodo Media Group division of Univision.
On October 10, 2019, Splinter announced it was ceasing publication, following Gizmodo Media Group's dissolution and reorganization into G/O Media.[8] The staff posted the last post on November 12, 2019.[9] Staff from Splinter started the independent Discourse Blog in March 2020.[10]
On November 29, 2023, it was announced that Jezebel and Splinter were acquired by Paste in an all-cash deal. Josh Jackson, a co-founder and the editor-in-chief of Paste, commented that they had not considered purchasing the websites until after learning of Jezebel's closure in November 2023. Jackson announced plans to relaunch Splinter in 2024 ahead of the 2024 United States elections.[11][12]
Splinter officially relaunched on March 26, 2024, with new editor-in-chief Jacob Weindling, who was previously a politics staff writer for Paste.[1]
References
edit- ^ a b Weindling, Jacob (March 26, 2024). "Splinter Is Back!". Splinter.
- ^ "Univision's Fusion Website Rebranded To Splinter Goes Live". forbes.com. Archived from the original on 7 November 2017. Retrieved 3 November 2017.
- ^ Allsop, Jon (July 2, 2018). "Mainstream media grapples with a left-wing wave". Columbia Journalism Review. Archived from the original on 21 March 2019. Retrieved 21 March 2019.
- ^ Tani, Maxwell (January 10, 2019). "The Associated Press Frets Over Its Reporters' Biases While Its Twitter Feed Burns". The Daily Beast. Archived from the original on 21 March 2019. Retrieved 21 March 2019.
- ^ "What is Splinter, anyway? Editor-in-Chief Dodai Stewart explains the site's rebrand". Poynter. 2017-07-31. Archived from the original on 2017-11-07. Retrieved 3 November 2017.
- ^ Cynthia Littleton (2017-07-07). "Fusion to Rebrand Website as Splinter as TV Channel Broadens Focus". Variety. Archived from the original on 2017-11-07. Retrieved 3 November 2017.
- ^ Tani, Maxwell. "Fusion is planning to rebrand under a new name: Splinter". Business Insider. Archived from the original on 11 July 2017. Retrieved 11 July 2017.
- ^ Tani, Maxwell (10 October 2019). "Splinter Shutting Down". Archived from the original on 11 October 2019. Retrieved 10 October 2019.
- ^ "Don't Dream, It's Over". Splinter. Archived from the original on 14 November 2019. Retrieved 15 November 2019.
- ^ Chan, Aleksander (2020-03-23). "Let's Keep Going" (Substack newsletter). Discourse Blog. Retrieved 2021-10-05.
- ^ Robertson, Katie (November 29, 2023). "Jezebel to Be Resurrected by Paste Magazine". The New York Times. Archived from the original on November 29, 2023. Retrieved November 29, 2023.
- ^ Amatulli, Jenna (2023-11-29). "Paste Magazine buys Jezebel weeks after closure with aim to 'push boundaries'". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on November 29, 2023. Retrieved 2023-11-29.