Fear And Loathing At Portfolio

We’ve got more details on Jim Impoco‘s firing from Portfolio. WWD just published a wealth of background info. Impoco and boss Joanne Lipman have been clashing for months and “Impoco would openly question Lipman’s editorial judgement” at staff meetings. Lipman killed an Impoco-sponsored piece by Kurt Eichenwald about terrorism (an alternate Eichenwald story will appear in the second issue). For his part, Impoco’s nice little nickname for Lipman was “Newspaper Girl.” Although Lipman is beloved by Conde Nast higher-ups including S.I. Newhouse Jr. and Anna Wintour, she’s not such a favorite of her staff. You see, Lipman tried to kill Summer Fridays at Portfolio via managing editor Blaise Zeraga.

First rule of publishing: You don’t mess with employees’ Summer Fridays.

Then there’s the fact that Impoco might have been a bit too free with his expense account (including a Valentine’s Day dinner at Nobu for him and his wife and the Internet bill at his Hamptons home) and the fact that his firing was just dubbed the “Night of the Long Words” by WWD. Ah hell, just read the article.

— Neal Ungerleider

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