The editor of the Las Vegas Review-Journal resigned Tuesday, citing concerns that there would be an "adversarial relationship" after the newspaper was bought by the Adelson family.
According to tweets and people who were present for the announcement, Hengel told his staffers that he did not ask for a buyout, but that he was offered one shortly after the change in ownership. He did not say who made the offer. But he said he thought his relationship with the Adelson family would be "adversarial" and that it was best to let them pick their own editor.
"I think my resignation probably comes as a relief to the new owners, and it is in my best interest and those of my family," Hengel said, according to reporter Neal Morton.
I think it's reasonable to assume there would indeed be an adversarial relationship, given what's happened just since Adelson acquired the newspaper.
On several occasions since the sale, management has removed or changed passages from stories relating to the sale, according to reporters at the paper and outside news accounts.
The Adelson family acquired the paper through a newly-formed company called News + Media Capital. The company's manager, Michael Schroeder, who also runs a chain of small papers in Connecticut, declined to comment on the interventions.
The first instance, on December 10, the day of the sale, involved the removal of something Schroeder said in a staff meeting.
According to Robison, Schroeder said the new owners "just want you to focus on their jobs" and told them, "don't worry about who they are."
"They literally stopped the presses" to remove the quote, she said, calling it "frustrating."
The Adelson family plans to run a front-page statement addressing their acquisition in Wednesday's paper.