National News Guild Calls For Post-Gazette Editors To Resign

PITTSBURGH, PA — NewsGuild-CWA, an organization representing hundreds of thousands of media members and telecommunications workers internationally, has called for the resignations of Pittsburgh Post-Gazette executive editor Keith Burris and managing editor Karen Kane.

The newspaper has gained national attention for pulling two black journalists from covering demonstrations related to the death of George Floyd, the unarmed black man who died while being taken into custody by four police officers in Minneapolis. The officers are facing murder and other charges.

One reporter was told she was pulled because management was convinced her coverage could not be unbiased. The other one and nearly 100 of their colleagues then were forbidden from covering the protests after retweeting the original tweet.

Burris and Kane "have shown outrageous insensitivity in directing coverage of protests of racism and police brutality, dismissed criticism from within their own newsroom and dehumanized their staff," NewsGuild-CWA president Jon Schleuss said in a statement. "They must resign immediately.

"Burris and Kane have made it clear that they don’t stand for journalistic values. Their mistreatment of Black employees, their lack of empathy, and their retribution when confronted with criticism make them simply unfit to lead. It’s time for both of them to go."

The Newspaper Guild of Pittsburgh also called for the pair to step down.

"The reprehensible actions of Keith Burris and Karen Kane have so tarnished the 233-year reputation of our beloved newspaper that we fear for its very survival," said union president Michael Fuoco, who has been with the paper for nearly four decades.

"The departures of Burris and Kane are a necessary first step to show the staff, the readership, the advertisers that their voices are being heard, that there is a commitment to doing better."

Earlier this week, Giant Eagle, western Pennsylvania's largest grocery chain, announced that it would cease selling the paper at its stores. The grocer stated that the ban would be in effect "until the publication demonstrates an equal commitment to all those in the communities it serves."