Tomorrow afternoon, Denver Post journalists will demonstrate outside their new headquarters at the paper's Adams County printing plant and the New York City offices of the paper's hedge fund owner, Alden Global Capital.
Today, they published a letter via the Denver Newspaper Guild condemning Alden and parent company Digital First Media's censorship of now-resigned editorial page editor Chuck Plunkett and neglect of their newspapers.
"Newspapers tell the truth," the letter begins. "They must. Always. That is why we, the newsroom of The Denver Post, are outraged at the unconscionable censorship imposed on our now-former editorial page editor, Chuck Plunkett. Chuck told the truth, eloquently and pointedly. And in that our newspaper’s corporate ownership — Digital First Media and the hedge fund Alden Global Capital — saw something to fear, not to champion."
The letter references Plunkett's rejected editorial, which was published in the Columbia Journalism Review today and notes that Alden Global Capital and Digital First Media made $28 million in profits from the Denver Post in 2017.
"A serious threat to journalism in Colorado and across the country is only growing stronger," he wrote. "Papers owned by Alden Global Capital and operated by Digital First Media now suffer not just from neglect, but outright censorship."
It closes with a renewed called for Alden to either reinvest in its newsrooms or sell, and the letter from Denver Post staff today does the same: "It has become vividly clear that they must either invest in the newspaper or sell it to someone who cares about Colorado, and they must do it immediately. That is the truth."
It's signed by 56 staffers, including senior editors Dana Coffield and Larry Ryckman, who followed Plunkett in resigning last week.
You can read the full letter on the Denver Newspaper Guild's website.
The rally outside the offices and printing plant at 5990 N. Washington St. will begin at noon tomorrow. Meanwhile, Denver Post staffers Noelle Phillips, Kieran Nicholson, Elizabeth Hernandez and Joe Rubino will be demonstrating outside 885 Third Ave. in New York at noon.
