The Las Vegas Review-Journal editor, Michael Hengel, announced on Tuesday that he is leaving his post. The announcement about his departure comes a few weeks after it became clear that casino mogul Sheldon Adelson is behind the recent purchase of the newspaper and a few days after it published a piece that implicitly criticized its new owners.
Mr. Hengel announced that he is to leave at a meeting with the newsroom. He said that his resignation would probably be considered good news by the new owners and that his decision is in his best interest and that of his family.
A statement that is to be published on The Las Vegas Review-Journal’s front page on Wednesday says that the new owners are committed to publishing a “fair, unbiased, and accurate” newspaper and that they are to make the necessary investments in order for it to succeed.
The new owners also said that Mr. Hengel as well as several other “qualified employees” have accepted a buyout offer from the newspaper’s former owners. The Las Vegas Review-Journal’s editor did not immediately comment on his decision. The newspaper will now appoint an interim editor until a permanent replacement is found.
Being the Chairman of Las Vegas Sands, one of the world’s biggest gambling operators, and a staunch supporter of the Republican Party, Sheldon Adelson is no stranger to the US media scene. He is a key figure in the global gambling industry and his contributions to its growth are indisputable. However, it could be said that Mr. Adelson has been in the middle of numerous controversies related to the potential legalization of Internet gambling in the United States and other related matters, which had a negative effect on his media profile.
Last week, Mr. Adelson and his family eventually revealed that they purchased The Las Vegas Review-Journal on December 10 from New Media Investment Group for the amount of $140 million. Gatehouse Media LLC, the former owner’s subsidiary, would keep on managing the newspaper. Earlier this year, New Media Investment Group bought the publication from its longtime owner Stephens Media LLC for the total amount of $102.5 million.
Mr. Hengel was appointed as editor of the newspaper in December 2010 after spending several years as editor and publisher of Pine Bluff Commercial, a publication run by Stephens.
