Daily News sacks ‘stalker’ sportswriter

THE Daily News sportswriter whose Jets press credentials were yanked reportedly for “stalking” the son of the team’s general manager has been fired, The Post has learned.

“Manish Mehta is no longer with New York Daily News. Coverage of the Jets will continue uninterrupted,” said a rep for News owner Tribune Publishing.

Mehta could not be reached for comment. His @mmehtanydn Twitter account, which had been working Thursday afternoon, no longer exists, according to Twitter.

Earlier this year, Mehta was banned from the Jets’ training facility and had his credentials revoked, leading to speculation that he was being punished for his harsh criticism of the team.

But Craig Carton of WFAN sports radio caused a stir last month when he said on air that Mehta had been banished for stalking Jets GM Joe Douglas’ son.

Adding to the intrigue, stories by Mehta with quotes from Jets press conferences continued to appear during the time he was reportedly banned.

And when writer Charles McDonald left the News for USA Today last month, he added to the mystery with a tweet suggesting he was being forced to do Mehta’s reporting.

“USA today/for the win. getting back into more national coverage now that i’m not being used to hold up the façade that a certain jets writer still has access to the team,” McDonald tweeted.

Sources told The Post the tweet was a direct reference to Mehta.

Word of the separation started bubbling up Thursday afternoon. By early evening the News tweeted that Mehta had been “removed” from covering the Jets.

“Manish Mehta has been removed from the New York Jets beat. Coverage of the team will continue uninterrupted,” according to the tweet.

Fashion publication Women’s Wear Daily handed out pink slips on Wednesday — just two months after its longtime owner, Penske Media, agreed to shell out $225 million to merge with The Hollywood Reporter publisher MRC.

That deal, which attracted antitrust review because it would put three of four major Hollywood trade titles under one roof, has passed US Justice Department muster and is expected to be officially finalized by the end of the month, sources said.

At least three WWD editorial staffers have been canned at the digital trade title as the fashion industry continues to get pummeled by the pandemic, which has consumers flocking to sweats instead of evening gowns, sources said. Retailers have also been hard hit, which has resulted in cuts to advertising and subscriptions.

“Well folks, it finally happened but still a shock,” tweeted one laid-off staffer, Phoebe Bradford, on Monday. “Like so many folks in my industry the layoffs came for me too. It’s my last day of being the video producer at WWD. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t terrified of what comes next.”

As The Post has previously reported, the September deal to merge with MRC is also expected to result in layoffs of about 50 non-editorial staffers of Billboard, The Hollywood Reporter and Vibe, which will be operated under a new entity called PMRC, controlled by Penske. The deal is expected to be officially finalized at the end of this month.

Sources said the WWD cuts could be paving the way for PMC CEO Jay Penske, son of autoracing kingpin Roger Penske, to pile up funds for PMRC, which will be 80 percent owned by Penske Media.

“It looks like Jay is raising money in one area and cutting in another,” a source said. “The fashion and retail industry has been devastated, and there’s not much investment going in WWD.”

But a company spokeswoman said the reductions were part of a restructuring that will ultimately not reduce head count. “It’s business as usual at WWD and Fairchild, and no cuts to the business,” the rep said.

The National Book Foundation, the nonprofit organization behind the National Book Awards, has tapped Koya Partners to handle the search to replace executive director Lisa Lucas. The search process is expected to take three months. Lucas, who in July announced plans to step down at the end of the year, will continue to serve on the ffoundation’s board of directors, she said Thursday. Her deputy, Jordan Smith, is stepping in as interim executive director. Lucas, executive director since 2016, is heading to Penguin Random House as senior VP and publisher of the Pantheon and Schocken imprints. “We asked Jordan, and she very graciously agreed to step in,” said Arcadia Publishing CEO David Steinberger, who serves as chairman of the National Book Foundation. Koya was chosen because it “specializes in mission-driven searches, typically in the nonprofit world,” he said.