The top editor of the Insider news site was caught on video bicycling around Brooklyn and tearing down pro-union posters that targeted him as a labor strike dragged into its second week.
In the video obtained by The Post, Insider editor in chief Nicholas Carlson was seen frantically removing the flyers from lampposts in the Windsor Terrace section of Brooklyn on Friday and stuffing them into the basket of a Citi Bike.
At the start of the 56-second clip, a group of Insider employees accost Carlson, bespectacled and wearing a bike helmet, as they demand answers about why the strike had failed to reach a resolution after more than a week.
“I’m not that great because I find this to be frustrating,” Carlson says after being asked “How are you?” by one of the women.
“Almost as frustrating as a layoff!” the woman shoots back.
As previously reported by The Post, union members, which include reporters and other editorial staff, papered Windsor Terrace and Brooklyn’s Park Slope — where Insider CEO Henry Blodget and Carlson both reside — with roughly 400 flyers calling out both men.
“Have you seen this millionaire?,” one of the flyers reads with a photo of Carlson, along with and information on the 250 unionized Insider workers who are looking to reach a “fair contract” with company management.
The awkward encounter caught on video continues with Carlson getting back on his bike as he determines that the group is recording it.
“Who are you all?” Carlson says, smiling and nervously fiddling with his chin strap.
“I’m one of your reporters,” one of the women says.
“You’re not my reporter,” Carlson replies.
“Well, I guess it depends on how you look at it. I work in the newsroom,” she said.
“It’s not my newsroom,” he says with a forced grin, as another woman heckles him.
“I’m not your reporter,” she said heatedly. “You know why? Because you laid me off! And guess what? You laid off everyone on the crypto team!”
Carlson, fidgets with his bike helmet and rides off while the laid off reporter is speaking.
“Bye!,” she said, laughing as he pedals across the street to take down more posters from the side of a mailbox.
“Nicholas is a big boy and can handle attacks made on him on social media, but he was quite alarmed to see the posters plastered all over his neighborhood, including especially around his seven-year-old son’s school,” a spokesman for Insider told the Post.
“To be clear, Nich is not responsible for Insider Inc’s selection of healthcare providers! Also, Nich is not annoyed at the union — after all, it was only a handful who participated in the stunt — and he can’t wait to have them all back at work soon,” the rep added.
Union members went on strike on June 2 after failing to resolve several disagreements with management over, among other things, the company’s health care plan and annual raises.
Since then, non-union workers, which include editors and reporters based outside the US, have been cranking out stories to keep Insider’s website afloat.
Even Carlson and Blodget have published stories but web traffic has been declining since the strike began.
Carlson messaged overworked editors on Slack on Thursday about the punishing shifts they’ve endured since the strike kicked off.
“I know you’re tired. I’m tired too,” Carlson wrote. “So I have an important message: we are exiting the ‘do this on adrenaline’ phase, and moving into a phase where we have to keep serving our audience, but in a way that it’s sustainable for you.”
“You can’t have an environment like that where people don’t take breaks,” Carlson added.
At the time, NewsGuild union rep William Antonelli, who also serves as a tech reporter told The Post:
“It’s clear from what we’ve seen in Slack that the managers that are left are scrambling to make up the work that union members usually do. The managers that I’ve spoken to have made it clear that they trust the union’s word much more than the company executives.”
In response, an Insider spokesman said: “Of course, it’s been challenging for our newsroom to keep up the pace as half our team isn’t working. Thankfully, the other half is doing a spectacular job, so overall we’re fine. We miss those who are on strike, and hope to come to an agreement soon with the union.”
