Another journalist departs Adelson family’s newspaper

Professional staff turnover at the Las Vegas Review Journal, a Las Vegas newspaper purchased for a reportedly inflated price of $140 million last year by the Adelson family (see previous reports) continues to be brisk, with Jennifer Robison the latest respected journo to depart.

Robison, who is leaving to work in communications for PG&E in San Francisco, was one of a trio of LVRJ writers (the others were Howard Stutz and James DeHaven) who dug up the Adelson family involvement in the reportedly stealth sale of the Journal last year.

All three have now left the newspaper, along with other members of management and journalists.

Robison’s departure follows that of Stephanie Grimes, the newspaper’s features editor who was apparently fired by managing editor J. Keith Moyer after some acrimonious differences of opinion and amid accusations of a lack of loyalty.

Grimes has since been forthright in expressing her feelings about the manner in which the LRVJ is being managed and the effects of this on the newsroom and professional ethics.

She has alleged that Moyer has stressed the importance of “company loyalty” and threatened to fire employees who do not toe the line. Department heads were subsequently reminded again of the threat…and not to talk about it….but that was inevitably leaked, according to local media reports.

Grimes wrote of her departure:

“I believe in the power of journalism and I believe in the great reporters in the RJ newsroom — including on my own team. But as much as I love the idea of the Review-Journal, my trust in the company as an institution has died a slow death over the past five months. Its management has failed on too many occasions to live up to the standards we so rigidly hold others to on a regular basis.”

Grimes’ exit, in turn, followed that of high-profile LVRJ columnist John L. Smith, who was forbidden by Moyer to write about Sheldon Adelson or Steve Wynn, allegedly on grounds of a “conflict of interest” because of past litigious relationships with the two Las Vegas casino tycoons.

Jason Taylor, the newspaper’s publisher, moved on in January this year and was replaced by Craig Moon, who, it has been claimed, reports directly to the Adelson family ownership.

Prior to that, managing editor Mike Hengel left and was replaced in February this year by current managing editor Moyer, who has repeatedly claimed that the Adelson’s have guaranteed his editorial independence without interference from the owners.

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