Fake Reviews - Fake News - Anonymous employee USA TODAY Co. Employee Review

1.0
Sep 25, 2018
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Three floating holidays as part of PTO

Cons

This place is absolute trash. The last dozen or so reviews by "current employees" are fake. They solicit positive reviews to combat the overwhelming amount of negative, honest reviews. Scroll back a bit for some skeletons Gannett desperately wants to bury. Toxic culture. Horrible and absent management. Emotional abuse. Lies. Ego. Cultish. Gannett's goal is to get you in the "you're lucky to have a job at all mindset" - which, they are masters of. This puts them exactly where they want to be, always in control. During my time here, I've concluded that there are three paths a typical career takes at Gannett... 1. Gannett fully assimilates you and you soon become a mindless worker bee. You carry about your days a shell of what you once were. Your ambitions have been extracted without your awareness. You strangely feel "lucky" to work here. After all, its USA TODAY, right? You are the majority. 2. Gannett realizes you are not susceptible to their tactics and terminates you abruptly and without explanation. 3. You accept the offer, shake off the negative reviews and say to yourself "how bad can it be?" You soon realize you've made a huge mistake and have no tolerance for their garbage. You promptly move on to something better. The Dead Sea Effect. Look it up. Gannett is plagued by this. I can't stress this point enough. Some other stuff... They are actively firing swaths of employees in McLean to clear the building to shrink cost. Everything is becoming a remote position with 100% webcam uptime. Every bit of cost cutting is taken to an extreme here because the company is dead broke. It's actually sad, but what is even more pathetic is how they want to make their financial struggles directly your problem. I've literally overheard a conversation amongst colleagues on how working later is good for the company. I've also been involved in conversations on vetting technology and the most important factor above anything else was always the cost. As a result of being broke dead-beats, every imaginable aspect of working here suffers. Morale is at an all-time low. They constantly promise they are changing and "things will get better." Working at Gannett is like being in an abusive relationship. I've worked in many industries and seen a few things, but this was... by far... the worst and most bizarre experience I've ever had. I'm so mad at myself for either not seeing the red flags or ignoring them when considering the position. I've met a handful of talented and legit people here. Fortunately for them, they’ve all quit or been fired. Unfortunately for the deceived candidate, the ones who've stayed are still there.

Explore other reviews about USA TODAY Co.

5.0
Feb 3, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Talented staff. Smart editors and reporters across the company.

Cons

Still need more staff, but we haven't seen cuts in newsrooms for a few years.

5.0
May 18, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

A company that I believe genuinely cares about its employees as much as their clients. Great work/life balance, decent pay, great culture, welcoming and supportive atmosphere.

Cons

Trying to "fix" too many things at one time can lead to inconsistency and feelings of being overwhelmed at all levels. There is a lot of great intent and plans to continue to grow the company and make things better overall, however, sometimes it felt a lot like "pulling at straws" approach where upper leadership would try something impulsively, and not stick to it long enough to see if it could truly make an impact, and many times certain approaches contradicted a previous one for a different area of opportunity. However, it's important to note, that through many moving parts, there was always support offered, and a "safe space" to provide feedback at even entry level roles.

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