John Henry Westen Ousted

Last week, a nuclear explosion detonated in Catholic media. In a 5-4 vote, the LifeSite News Board of Directors unceremoniously fired CEO and co-founder, John Henry Westen, after 28 years of service. This debacle may be the death knell for LifeSite News, as they appeared to have “Bud Lighted” themselves. What a shame, as GMC has often used LifeSite as a trustworthy and reliable resource. 

In a recent podcast with O CRUX AVE media, Westen’s wife, Diane, seemed to be taking the dismissal very hard. She bemoaned the way her husband was treated by LifeSite, saying, 

“Hey, 28 years and you didn’t get a cake and a handshake. Henry was unable to say goodbye to any of his colleagues at LifeSite. I felt like the carpet had been pulled out from underneath us like the world was just rocking. Our oldest daughter is 28, and this is 28 years, and this has pretty much been our whole family life. Our kids grew up in the shadow of LifeSite news and their dad working.”

Then, with a catch in her voice, she added, “This was a huge shock. I really never thought it would come the way it did.” To add injury to insult, the dismissal came just a few days before one of their sons was to be married.

Initially, the boilerplate PR spin from LifeSite was that Westen was on ‘a well-earned sabbatical’ and would spend more time with his family. Later, Westen’s colleague and co-founder, Steve Jalsevac, revealed the truth in a now-deleted post, accusing Westen of being too traditional and tanking the organization’s financial stability. And in one fell swoop, Westen became the sacrificial lamb for the loss of readership on their website and decline in charitable donations. 

Neither of these metrics is all that surprising. Many well-meaning people are cash-strapped right now, unable to feed their families and pay their rent, let alone make charitable donations. Also, many more are listening to podcasts and video clips, or going to social media sites like X for their news instead of reading articles online. Website traffic overall has declined dramatically since the pandemic. There were also some vague allegations about employees “not feeling safe.” It sounds like some woke HR surveys were administered at LifeSite to be used as a vehicle and further justification to fire Westen. 

There is something very unseemly about a corporate board ousting an organization’s founder. It is reminiscent of the coup at Project Veritas that threw James O’Keefe to the curb. Both these situations seem conspiratorial, staged, and truly unfair. If certain parties can no longer effectively work together or ideologies have changed over time, perhaps an amicable split could have been arranged. 

For anyone who has worked in a non-profit Catholic apostolate, the drama is unsurprising. Lack of resources, dependence on donors, subpar salaries, and long hours contribute to high employee turnover and in-office bickering. On top of all this, a sterile corporate approach is often instituted while simultaneously trying to pretend that gospel values drive the organization. This disconnect often leaves people who work there confused and questioning their own faith. 

Westen has been the face of LifeSite. After he was fired, many contributors pulled their monthly donations to express their outrage and disappointment at this situation. In response, LifeSite sent out an email to donors begging them to reconsider. If one attempted to do so by calling, here is the recorded message you received: 

“We understand you may be upset and considering canceling your donation amid recent online agitation. Please know that LifeSite News is more than one person. It’s a dedicated team of over 60 staff members and their families all committed to defending life, faith, family, and freedom through truthful journalism. These are real people, researchers, writers, editors, video crews, and more, many raising families rooted in faith. Defunding us impacts their livelihoods, especially during personal joys like recent births in our team and trials like a colleague caring for his father with late stage cancer.

Then a quote from Ephesians 4:31-32, “Let all bitterness and wrath be put away, be kind to one another, tender hearted, forgiving as God forgave you. We’re grateful supporters who see beyond the noise and pray for unity. If you’d like to discuss or reconsider, please leave a message with your contact info and we’ll reach out. God bless.” 

So firing someone in a seemingly unfair manner is now relegated to “online agitation” and “noise”? This is highly insensitive and definitely tone deaf. Most people, including LifeSite donors, are sick and tired of those with the big pockets pulling all the strings and wielding enormous amounts of power. And using these guilt trips about family members with cancer, newborn babies and quotes from the Bible is really too much.

There is something to be said about having a day gig and funding your own Catholic apostolate. That way you can say what you want, when you want, and are not beholden to a board or wealthy donors. A suggestion for those who are trying to make their sole living in the Catholic media sphere, beware. There are many vipers out there willing to take you down.