Denver Post editor resigns after fiery editorial calling out owner

The editorial page editor at The Denver Post resigned on Thursday, a few weeks after he wrote a column criticizing the paper’s owners.

The Denver Post reporters and local news outlet Denverite reported that Charles Plunkett resigned from his post, the latest casualty at a paper that has been ravaged by layoffs in recent years. 

“It’s a tragedy what Alden Global Capital is doing to its newsrooms and what it’s doing to The Denver Post,” Plunkett told Denverite. “It’s an act of apostasy to our profession and I could no longer abide it.”

Colleagues praised Plunkett for his work and fearless attitude.

I thought we were going to get through this week without more bad news, but hero @denverpost editorial page editor @chuckplunkett has resigned. This is a devastating development. #newsmatters #AldenExposed

— Dana Coffield (@denpostdana) May 3, 2018

Home news: @chuckplunkett, the @denverpost‘s fearless editorial page editor in recent weeks, has RESIGNED, according to an announcement from our editor. No more details avail yet.

He penned this on April 6: https://t.co/ixJZjrrUp2

— Jon Murray (@JonMurray) May 3, 2018

{mosads}In an editorial published April 6, Plunkett fiercely criticized Alden Global Capital, the hedge fund that owns The Denver Post and several other papers across the country.

“Since Alden took control, the decline of local news has been as obvious as it’s been precipitous,” he wrote. 

“The smart money is that in a few years The Denver Post will be rotting bones. And a major city in an important political region will find itself without a newspaper,” he continued. 

The photo associated with the column, which shows the sharp reduction in staff when the paper won a Pulitzer Prize in 2013 compared to its staff in April, quickly went viral. 

Sen. Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) lamented Plunkett’s departure, calling it a “loss for Colorado.”

“A free, objective, and thriving press is essential to all of our communities,” Bennet tweeted.

Chuck Plunkett, @denverpost editorial page editor, told hard truths and stood up for local press. His departure is a loss for Colorado. A free, objective, and thriving press is essential to all of our communities. https://t.co/67aV0hodXE

— Michael F. Bennet (@SenBennetCO) May 4, 2018