Observer Media


Observer Media is an American online media company. The company was formed through several acquisitions, including acquisition of The New York Observer in 2007. Observer Media is based in lower Manhattan, New York City, and had been owned by businessman Jared Kushner, until Joseph Meyer was named Chairman and publisher in January 2017. It currently publishes the Commercial Observer, observer.com, and commercialobserver.com. As of November 2016, Observer Media announced it would no longer print the New York Observer. The observer.com site is a consolidation of several notable online properties, including The Gallerist, BetaBeat, NY Politicker, and PolitickerNJ.

History

In 2007, Jared Kushner began acquiring and merging several print and online media publications into the Observer brand, including The New York Observer, BetaBeat, Gallerist, NY Politicker, SCENE Magazine, and PolitickerNJ. These acquisitions became integrated into the website observer.com.
In March 2012, Observer Media launched The Commercial Observer, a commercial real estate publication. The organization has since received various awards, including "NAREE's 65th Annual Real Estate Journalism" award, "Best Team Report Silver" award, and "Best Weekly Newspaper Report Silver" award. The Commercial Observer publishes at commercialobserver.com, and also publishes weekly print edition.
Joseph Meyer now owns the company through his investment firm Observer Capital, and serves as Chairman and Publisher. Jared Kushner has no ownership stake in and has no role in the company.
Michael Rose, the former president of What to Expect, a subsidiary of Everyday Health, was named CEO of Observer Media on October 9, 2019.

Format

The Observer Media online site includes three main content categories: Entertainment, Business & Innovation, and Arts. Observer Media discontinued a print edition called The New York Observer in November 2016.

Controversy

In April 2016, former editor-in-chief Ken Kurson was criticized for providing "input" to Donald Trump in a speech given at the annual AIPAC conference. The Observer was also criticized in 2014 for an investigative piece on former New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman. In July 2016, Observer staff journalist Dana Schwartz published an open letter to her boss Jared Kushner criticizing him for his involvement in Donald Trump's presidential campaign. Shortly thereafter, Kushner responded to the letter defending his contributions to Trump's presidential campaign. Both articles were widely circulated in social media, and attracted attention from various media outlets.