DENVER – Unrest between Denver Post workers and hedge fund owner Alden Global Capital is on the rise after editorial page editor Chuck Plunkett resigned late last week.
Workers at The Denver Post and other newspapers across the nation are set to protest Tuesday what they say are predatory management practices in Denver and at Alden's headquarters in Manhattan.
Post reporter Kieran Nicholson is the newsroom unit chair for the Denver Newspaper Guild. He says even though the Post made $28 million in profits last year, the company continues to cut staff and costs in ways that are unsustainable.
"They are busy stuffing their pockets as they wring this out,” he states. “And if it's to the community's detriment, if it's to the Post employees' detriment, they don't care. They just want to keep on racking in the profits, and we have to reverse that trend or stop that trend somehow."
Workers and supporters are calling for Alden to invest in the Post or sell it to someone who will.
A recent Neiman Lab report found that Alden's Colorado properties produced a 19 percent profit margin, and the company's strategy of continued cuts has produced the highest returns in the industry.
Attempts to contact Alden Global Capital or its subsidiary Digital First Media for a response so far have been unsuccessful.
After the most recent layoff announcement, the Post's newsroom is set to drop to just 70 from a staff well above 200, and other departments also have seen dramatic cuts.
Nicholson argues that ending Alden's shortsighted business model is the only way for the Post to continue its mission, for more than a century, of serving as a watchdog and trusted information source for Denver and Colorado.
"We feel that we help people make important decisions,” he states. “If it were to vanish or disappear, I think it would be detrimental to the community as a whole. Who's going to watch the powerful and hold them accountable?"
Newspaper workers plan to deliver a petition with more than 1,000 signatures to Alden president Heath Freeman.
Nicholson says the petition is a public cry asking the hedge fund to sell to local owners, or at least to an owner who is willing to reinvest earnings into journalism.
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In a debate in the race for Indiana's next Lieutenant Governor, the candidates clashed over the future of the state.
Micah Beckwith, the Republican candidate, who grew up on his family's dairy farm, emphasized agriculture's critical role in Indiana's economy, unveiling what he called the "Braun Beckwith initiative," aimed at reducing government restrictions on farming. He argued food security is national security, and stressed the need for minimal government interference to help farmers succeed.
"It is so important that Indiana begins to be that number one breadbasket," Beckwith stressed. "For the state, for the nation and for the world."
Terry Goodin, the Democratic candidate, focused on education and rural development, calling for reforms to ensure students graduate prepared for the workforce, military service or higher education.
Goodin, who grew up on a family farm, also pushed for economic revival in rural areas and proposed a fair tax plan to ease the burden on Hoosier families and farmers.
"Folks, we're going to start a revival in rural Indiana, an economic revival," Goodin asserted. "We're going to embark on a huge infrastructure program, where these communities will have the ability -- the revival -- of opportunity, hope and optimism."
Tonya Hudson, the Libertarian candidate, championed smaller government and lower taxes.
Hudson, a real estate broker, advocated for abolishing property taxes and reforming the tax code, highlighting the importance of personal freedom and free-market principles.
"I want to live in a free state," Hudson emphasized. "I want my family, my friends, fellow Hoosiers to have the same freedoms I long for. We need better government, not bigger."
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A Cole County judge ruled Tuesday Missouri voters will decide whether to ban ranked choice voting voting statewide, which could reshape the state's elections.
The means the contentious issue will be on the November ballot, tied to a proposed amendment stating only U.S. citizens can vote. Ranked choice voting is currently used only in the St. Louis area. It allows voters to rank candidates by preference, and ensures a majority winner by redistributing votes from eliminated candidates.
Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft supports the ban.
"I have a pretty sneaky feeling -- and I think I'm right -- that this change has been pushed, not because it's a quote, 'better,' unquote, way to vote, but because it's designed to change the outcome," Ashcroft contended.
Backers of ranked choice voting said people should be given the opportunity to try it. They pointed out it eliminates the need for costly runoff elections and promotes more civil campaigning among candidates.
Jean Dugan, executive director of the League of Women Voters of Missouri, is a proponent. She said there is a growing interest in ranked choice voting, not only in Missouri but around the country.
"The St. Louis League worked to get approval voting in the city of St. Louis, and it's working very well there," Dugan noted. "But other communities might want to try it, too."
Ranked choice voting is now used in more than 50 cities, in 14 states. Ashcroft maintained those who want to use it in Missouri have been unable to attain victory for their issue or their candidate and so have decided to "change the rules." Missouri voters will have the final say on Nov. 5.
Support for this reporting was provided by The Carnegie Corporation of New York.
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Native voting-rights advocates contend two Arizona laws have made it more difficult for Native American voters to be civically engaged, despite already existing structural barriers.
Patty Ferguson-Bohnee, director of the Indian Legal Clinic at Arizona State University, said House Bill 2492 and House Bill 2243 will unfairly impact native voters.
House Bill 2492 said voters must present evidence of a physical mailing address, which Ferguson-Bohnee pointed out will present problems for many native people who simply do not have one. House Bill 2243 requires county recorders to terminate a voter's registration if they suspect someone is not a U.S. citizen. The pieces of legislation are being challenged in court but Ferguson-Bohnee argued education and outreach are also key.
"Trying to translate to tribal people in their own terms, in their own communities, why it's important to participate in voting can already be a challenge when you're dealing with a legal infrastructure that has tried to deny your existence," Ferguson-Bohnee asserted.
Just last month the U.S. House of Representatives released a report examining barriers and providing policy solutions, including the Native American Voting Rights Act, which would establish "consistent standards" for voting throughout Indian Country.
Ferguson-Bohnee encouraged all voters to participate in elections. For native people experiencing difficulties registering to vote or having problems on Election Day, she urged them to call the Election Protection Hotline at 866-687-8683.
Ferguson-Bohnee emphasized when it comes to Native American voting, there have been steps forward and then backward. Despite President Joe Biden having selected Deb Haaland to serve as the U.S. Secretary of the Interior, many still feel voiceless and lack confidence in Washington D.C. leaders.
"There is some feeling within Indian Country and among some Native people is, 'Why should I be participating in this process?'" Ferguson-Bohnee observed. "But when you recognize that people who are elected actually have touch pointed in your everyday life, even if you're in a remote location, because of this federal trust relationship."
Ferguson-Bohnee added realities on reservations are often very different from off the reservation and contended it should be taken into account by elected officials when creating policy affecting the entire state of Arizona.
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