is journalism actually dying or is it being aggressively murdered by the dullest minds and deepest pockets in business
I like how your question transforms the issue from a sad thing we can wring our hands over but do nothing about into an outrageous thing we need to get angry about and fight against.
"Democracy dies in darkness" seems now to be a mission statement rather than a warning.
More fattened up and slaughtered.
My guess is the latter.
Murdered/brought to heel
“Aggressively” murdered? As opposed to “passively” or “lovingly” murdered?
The laid off staff should regroup, pool resources and relaunch as a new web site ("Voice of Vice"? "MoreVice"?) and become really successful, then sell (again) to the rich idiots, who will shut it down. Rinse and repeat, getting richer every time. If moguls want to throw money at em, take it!