The Las Vegas Review-Journal, the beleaguered daily newspaper that has been the focus of a PR crisis since its controversial December sale to casino magnate Sheldon Adelson, has brought in a new interim editor as management continues its search for a permanent replacement.
Dave Butler, executive editor and senior vice president of news and audience development at Providence Journal, will assume the role of temporary editor in chief. The news was first reported this afternoon by Politico Media.
Providence Journal is owned by GateHouse Media subsidiary New Media Investment Group, the same company that continues to manage the Las Vegas Review-Journal after its December sale to Adelson for $140 million.
Butler, who has held top newsroom management positions at Digital First Media, MediaNews Group, the New Haven Register and the Rocky Mountain News, assumed the executive editor position at the Providence Journal only in October. Politico reported that it’s "unclear” how Butler's current role at the Providence Journal will be affected as he takes the helm at the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
Butler succeeds editor Mike Hengel, who resigned after Adelson's purchase of the paper was revealed, citing an "adversarial" relationship with the casino owner.
Adelson’s December acquisition of the Las Vegas Review-Journal resulted in a firestorm of criticism due to its secretive nature: Adelson’s identity as buyer was revealed only after the deal was complete, as the transaction was carried out by an Adelson-backed shell company, News + Media Capital Group.
Of particular concern was the notion that Adelson, a high-profile Republican donor who is also founder, chairman and CEO of Las Vegas Sands, could use his ownership of Nevada’s largest newspaper to further his own financial or political agenda. Allegations later surfaced that Review-Journal reporters had been ordered by management to track three Clark County judges, one of whom allegedly is overseeing a lawsuit against Adelson.
As a result of the fallout, News + Media Capital Group in December hired crisis manager Mark Fabiani to navigate its controversial purchase of the paper. Fabiani’s previous clients include Goldman Sachs, the San Diego Chargers, Gov. Rick Perry and Lance Armstrong.
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