Updated at 6:55 p.m.
After green-lighting a story in Friday’s paper about financial troubles at the Rutland Herald, news editor Alan Keays was fired later that day by owner R. John Mitchell.
According to education reporter Lola Duffort, Keays was summoned into a meeting with Mitchell and publisher Catherine Nelson late Friday afternoon.
“He just walked out,” Duffort told Seven Days in a call from the Herald newsroom. “People asked if [they] had fired him, and he nodded his head and walked out.”
Seven Days heard from seven people with direct knowledge of the situation late Friday, all of whom corroborated elements of the story. Neither Mitchell nor Nelson immediately responded to a request for comment.
The situation appeared highly fluid. Shortly after Keays’ firing, according to Duffort, several employees left the newsroom to meet with Keays in the paper’s parking lot.
“The entire newsroom is walking out,” Duffort said shortly before 5 p.m. “The paginators are leaving. The copyeditors are leaving. I don’t know how many people are going to stick around, but I don’t think a paper’s coming out tomorrow.”
According to another employee, “All hell has broken loose … Some of the reporters are crying. Everyone looks shell-shocked.”
Later in the evening, employees told Seven Days they believed the Herald would still go to press in time for Saturday’s paper. Some of those who had walked out later returned to the building to meet with Mitchell and Nelson in an effort to rescind Keays’ firing.
Nelson emailed the staff shortly after 6 p.m. to announce that there would be a staff meeting Monday at 11 a.m.
“I know that we have rescheduled a few times but this will definitely happen,” she wrote. “See you then. Thanks for your patience.”
Keays’ firing came after he approved a story documenting serious financial problems at the paper in recent weeks. Written by staff writer Gordon Dritschilo and quoting five other employees by name, it said that in recent weeks employee checks had bounced, staffers had not been reimbursed for expenses and freelancers had not been paid.
The story ran on the front page of the Herald on Friday.
According to one employee, Keays was fired not for approving the first story but for advocating a follow-up story planned for Saturday’s paper.
“Alan went to the mat for us, so we should do the same,” Duffort said. “And they shouldn’t be able to get away with this.”
According to several sources, employees of the Herald and its sister paper, the Barre-Montpelier Times Argus, were informed Thursday that they would not receive their pay that day via direct deposit. Many received paychecks Friday afternoon, but one staffer said that his or her bank would not cash the check.
The situation could soon trigger enforcement by state government. Commissioner of Labor Annie Noonan told Seven Days Friday afternoon that her office had received several inquiries from employees about their rights. One staffer filed a formal complaint, she said, but then asked to hold off on activating it until Monday.
Noonan said she had not spoken with management at the Herald and would not do so until the complaint was formally filed.
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Updated below on Saturday, August 6, 2016, at 2:02 p.m.
The Rutland Herald published a print edition on Saturday, but it did not include the follow-up story for which Keays had advocated. The paper made no mention of Keays’ firing in print or online.
Several employees said late Friday that they were planning to present Mitchell and Nelson with a letter on Monday threatening to quit en masse if Keays was not rehired. Others threatened to skip work this weekend.
Steve Pappas, editor of the Times Argus, addressed the situation in an email to his employees late Friday:
I’ve heard from a number of staff regarding their willingness to complete shifts in the coming days. While I understand where those feelings are coming from, I can only advise that you make decisions, and accept any associated consequences, that you can stand by.
I am going to err on the side of trust that today was a wrinkle. I will work my weekend hours as scheduled with faith that paychecks issued today will be clear on Monday. I have no reason to believe this isn’t true. As journalists we know it is irresponsible to work without all of the facts — to do otherwise is assuming.
Pappas did not respond to a request for comment.
Note to readers: If you have direct knowledge about this unfolding situation, call Paul Heintz at (802) 598-8946 or email paul@sevendaysvt.com. We will guarantee your anonymity.
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So demoralizing for those of us who work or worked in journalism, and still read papers. Breaks my heart.
Good for you Alan for standing up for yourself and for your staff! Clearly anyone in the Rutland community who was paying attention knew something like this was coming.
You’re a great editor and leader Alan. Take your talents and Experience where they will be appreciated!
During my almost 23 yrs with Rutland City Police I had a good relationship with the Hearld and with Alan in particular,,, He was fair and honest,,, we had fantastic talks not always agreeing , but always in good taste and respect. I retired several years ago and miss the give and take of downtown,, The Rutland Herald staff all were great,, and I gave them a lot of tickets over the years,,, None of them deserve to be treated the way they have been in the past several years,,, I wish them all the best ,,I am aware of how hard they work, as years ago I also worked in the press room. during and after the strike,
This is truly a bad bellwether Those of us who have only the (un)FreePress and the hollow shell it has become to rely upon for news-USA today, in the Free Press tomorrow, relied on the TA or RH to actually report local news…..especially in the state house. Sad day.
IF a print paper can’t print the truth about itself, and possibly arise community support in some fashion, then what role can it reasonably play in reporting the affairs of state or neighborhoods?
Curiously, I have had much difficulty over the past year in getting regular delivery of the RH to an out-of-state friend who intends to return when he is able. Though they regularly charge my card each month, delivery inexplicably stops periodically, and it’s hell to get it started back up.
If the Rutland Herald / Montpelier Barre-Times Argus needs financial help, start a Burlington paper to drive the Free Press the rest of the way into Lake Champlain; We’ve waited with Baited breath for years for a NEWSPAPER, not a super market tabloid hand out costing $1.75!!!. I have the feeling the Owner/Publisher may not have the foresight to recognize a golden egg. Second Generation is usually caretaker by nature, no fresh ideas, too much caution, no adventure..If Capitalism works (HA, HA,HA), things would be better. It does not work.
Have read the Herald since childhood when Bellows Falls was Southern VT Bureau with Barney Crosier heading it up. So a very sad day for everyone.
A year ago Grapevine reported circulation @ 9,000 unclear if this was for both papers.
Height if memory serves was ’94 w/circ of 24,000.
Anyone who has had dealings with the Herald even on the customer level knows that this has been a slow-mo but steady decline which started following the passing of Bob Mitchel in ’93 who along with the fine reporters, editorial page & VT press Bureau made it what it is today, or was yesterday more like it. John the younger just doesn’t have the same soul. Decline in news quality seemed to follow departure of John Van Hoesen, now at VPR. Randall Smathers never filled the shoes.
Steady slide started like 10 years ago with the hiring of Catherine Nelson imo who began the culling of reporters. Monty Morin who was the Springfield columnist left, deets unclear but was not replaced. Local selectboard meetings stopped being covered except for Rutland & local news for southern VT finally dropped down to a couple of stories a day if anything at all, like maybe one from Bennington & one from another star-of-the-day lucky backwater.
Exodus of customers chose a crappy substitute, NH paper, the Eagle Times, simply because they covered local news & sports. Though Nelson saved her boss Mitchell, a pile of money this is the result. Cutting off a limb or two to achieve rapid weight loss works great but results are drastic & permanent.
Difficult to observe the disconnect & resultant missteps even from a distance & tragic result. Would like to see the conglomerate which owns Valley News, which in contrast is doing very well & has much of the same circulation area, buy them out, print in W. Leb, keep everyone & rebuild their customer base.
Mitchell Empire – No Prognosis for Recovery !
Everyone, who has followed the sad declining health of Central Vermont’s principle news source, has seen the quality of coverage decline ever since the passing of Raymond Mitchell in 1993. His John succeeded Ray as publisher of the Times/Argus in 1978 and the Rutland Herald upon the passing of his father. John had made a noble effort to carry on his father’s legacy and had hoped that his son, Rob, would grab the torch and carry the family tradition. Rob lacked his the business acumen of his grand-father and father and was given the title of “Editor-in-Chief” where his wild-eyed liberal views (along with those of the “Editorial Page Editor”, David Moats) resulted in a disaffected readership and a dramatic down-turn in the fortune of the family business. With no prospects of a Mitchell carrying on the family tradition, the organization named Catherine Nelson as Publisher and Vice-President in 2016 with John retaining the titles of Chairman and President.
This week’s events are the expected “death-rattle” symptoms of a dying dinosaur: bouncing payroll checks, employee expenses unreimbursed, switching bank accounts to juggle the remaining cash and tossing the “best-and-the-brightest” out the door. When a newspaper gives up its presses, no longer buys “ink-by-the-barrel” or “paper-by-the-boxcar-load” – you know the “end-is-near !”
The print-media business in general is struggling to adopt the platform (or fend off the attack) of the electronic media era. The newspapermen of old have been resistive of the instantaneous news cycle and the Mitchell’s troubles, in part, can be attributed to this trend, however the family’s inability to adopt or at least express the views of their community has contributed to their decline in circulation.
Sad that the once Mighty Mitchell Empire isn’t “Going-Out-With-Style!”
@ Brooke Paige, Mr. Mitchell’s name was Robert, not Raymond.
Thank You, Bernadette Robin you are absolutely correct !
(My first boss was Raymond Mitchell, the owner of Mitchell’s Family Store in Wilmington Delaware)
Strange how papers were so quick to cut local coverage, the one place they could compete with the social media and TV. Like cutting one’s own throat. While the ‘Net provides you the world.
The demise of papers also signify the faltering of our communities, rapidly being displaced by cyber communities and undercut by hyper corporate capitalism where real communities mean nothing.
The truth shall set you free. Publishers who live in glass houses …