Time Inc., arguably one of the most prestigious and powerful media companies in the world, is doing the unthinkable…

Creating “advertiser friendly” content…

Gasp. How dare they adapt their content to suit the changing habits and demands of readers.

CEO of the company, Joe Ripp, has said that he now requires his magazine’s editors to report to the business side of the company, which will be the first move in dismantling of the traditional wall between the advertising and editorial sides of the company.

An internal spreadsheet highlighting the “rating” that a Sports Illustrated writer has in terms of advertiser friendly content reached the web, and

“Time Inc. actually laid off Sports Illustrated writers based on the criteria listed on that chart. Writers who may have high assessments for their writing ability, which is their job, were in fact terminated based on the fact the company believed their stories did not ‘produce content that is beneficial to advertiser relationships,” said Anthony Napoli, a union representative with the Newspaper Guild.

Sports Illustrated did respond with a comment, saying the following:

The Guild’s interpretation is misleading and takes one category out of context. The SI.com evaluation was conducted in response to the Guild’s requirement for our rationale for out of seniority layoffs. As such, it encompasses all of the natural considerations for digital media. It starts and ends with journalistic expertise, while including reach across all platforms and appeal to the marketplace. SI’s editorial content is uncompromised and speaks for itself.

Check out the full story on Gawker.