CoinDesk owner fires 3 editors after Justin Sun article controversy

Bullish, the parent company of cryptocurrency media outlet CoinDesk, fired three senior editors on Friday, citing restructuring and cost-cutting measures.

These dismissals, however, follow an internal controversy over the deletion of an article criticizing the founder of Tron. Justin Sunraising concerns about the publication’s editorial independence.

Kevin Reynolds, editor-in-chief of CoinDesk, as well as deputy editors Marc Hochstein and Nick Baker, were informed of their dismissals via email.

This news follows Leo Schwartz’s decision report has Fortune.

Bullish complied with Sun’s requirements

The turmoil began in November when CoinDesk published an article on Purchase and consumption of the sun of a $6.2 million banana artwork. The story highlighted the absurdity of the stunt while also addressing Sun’s legal troubles, including accusations of fraud on Sun’s part. SECOND.

Sources said Fortune Sun’s team requested deletion of the articlejudging his tone inappropriate.

Bullish, who acquired CoinDesk for $75 million in 2023, complied, withdrawing the coin without issuing a retraction notice. The move led to the resignation of Matt Murray, former editor-in-chief of the Wall Street Journal, who chaired the CoinDesk editorial board.

In an email to staff, CoinDesk CEO Sara Stratoberdha defended the layoffs as a measure to increase productivity and reaffirmed the company’s commitment to journalistic integrity.

However, according to Schwartz, editorial managers remain skeptical, with some considering resigning.

Critics within the editorial team suggested that the removal was influenced by Tron’s sponsorship of CoinDesk’s flagship conference, Consensus, which spans Hong Kong.

Staffers have called for transparency, arguing that the incident undermines Bullish’s promises to protect editorial independence.