The Pittsburgh City Paper, which has been among the region’s most unabashedly liberal publications, fired its editor Tuesday, in what the ousted journalist said was an apparent reaction to his coverage of conservative state lawmaker Daryl Metcalfe.
Charlie Deitch, who was with the alternative newsweekly since 2005 and led its editorial side since 2014, said that upon entry to the paper’s Downtown office he “was told that I had to go.”
Two hours later, the quarter-century-old weekly newspaper announced the hiring of longtime Pittsburgh sportswriter Rob Rossi as its new editor.
“We are very excited for the future of CP and feel like we have a team in place that will help to move CP into a future where we can encompass all of Pittsburgh, with a renewed focus on neighborhoods, the arts, food and drink, and of course, local news,” according to a statement attributed to Vernon L. Wise III, president of Eagle Media Corp., which owns the Pittsburgh City Paper and the Butler Eagle.
Mr. Deitch’s termination came at the end of two weeks of tension within the paper over coverage of state Rep. Daryl Metcalfe, R-Cranberry, considered the region’s most conservative lawmaker.
On May 2, the Pittsburgh City Paper published an editorial titled, “Pennsylvania Rep. Daryl Metcalfe has proven himself unfit for office.”
In that editorial, “CP staff” wrote of Mr. Metcalfe: “We’ve found many of his opinions and beliefs to be racist, xenophobic, close-minded and full of general numb-skullery. But our biggest rap on the Butler County Republican is that he is a blatant obstructionist with a powerful state government committee chairmanship and is able to block any bill he doesn’t believe in from reaching the house floor for a vote.”
A May 7 blog post on the Pittsburgh City Paper’s website was headlined: “State Rep. Daryl Metcalfe’s pro-gun rally attracted support of group with white-supremacist origins.”
On May 8, Raymond Sielski, general manager for Butler Color Press, which is affiliated with the Butler Eagle, wrote in an email to Mr. Deitch: “Charlie, Can you redirect your anti Metcalf [sic] efforts toward let’s say maybe Pittsburgh politics. Are we not running any local races that CP readership might like to hear about relevant to Pittsburgh.”
Mr. Sielski could not be reached for comment.
“You certainly don’t want your publisher asking your editor that,” said Indira Lakshmanan, Newmark Chair in Journalism Ethics at The Poynter Institute. “The publisher is supposed to run the business side and not interfere with the editorial side.”
Poynter, based in St. Petersburg, Fla., trains journalists in fact-checking, ethics, leadership, innovation and storytelling.
“If indeed this editor was fired for the reason he says, for political reasons, by the publisher, is it unprecedented? No, it’s not unprecedented,” said Ms. Lakshmanan. “But it’s not good.”
She said that, ideally, editors can push back against publisher dictates without being fired.
Mr. Deitch said he pushed back.
“I would not stop writing about Daryl Metcalfe, because he is a public official, and a high-profile government official,” Mr. Deitch said in an interview. “I told him I would not censor my content when it comes to Daryl Metcalfe or anyone else.”
Mr. Deitch said he prepared a story for the weekly issue due out Thursday, focused on a bill that would extend protections against discrimination to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer Pennsylvanians, and indicating that Mr. Metcalfe had held up the bill in committee.
Mr. Deitch wrote on Twitter that his firing “comes exactly one week after my acting general manager told me that I was to no longer write about [Mr. Metcalfe] because he is a client of the parent company, the Butler Eagle. … I told them that as an ethical journalist I could not stop writing about an elected [official] or anyone else in a newsworthy situation just because they are a client.”
As of 1015 this morning I am no longer the editor of the @PGHCityPaper i was told I “had to go.” This comes exactly one week after my acting general manager told me that I was to no longer write about @RepMetcalfe Because he is a client of the parent company, the Butler Eagle.
— Charlie Deitch (@CharlieDee71) May 15, 2018
I refused to do so I told them that as an ethical journalist I could not stop writing about an elected Fishel or anyone else in a newsworthy situation just because they are a client. was then told to retract a recent story and I refused. requested a meeting, Heard nothing fired
— Charlie Deitch (@CharlieDee71) May 15, 2018
A check of Mr. Metcalfe’s recent campaign finance disclosures and statements of financial interest did not show any interactions with the Butler Eagle or related companies. Mr. Metcalfe could not be immediately reached for comment via cell phone or at his Harrisburg or Cranberry offices.
Asked whether Mr. Deitch’s coverage of Mr. Metcalfe was a factor in his termination, Butler Eagle president Chip Wise said, “It was absolutely not.” He declined to discuss the firing. He said the Pittsburgh City Paper would continue to operate. “We’re going full steam ahead.”
In the statement, Vernon Wise also announced Mr. Rossi’s arrival: “Rob has been a Pittsburgh media staple for years and brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the role.”
Mr. Rossi, who could not be immediately reached, has been a contributing columnist for the Tribune-Review newspapers, known for his hockey coverage. He describes himself on Twitter as an award-winning journalist, authorized biographer of Penguins center Evgeni Malkin, and Eastern Conference representative of Professional Hockey Writers Association.
In 2007, Mr. Deitch won the Press Club of Western Pennsylvania’s prestigious Ray Sprigle Memorial Award for his coverage of gambling-related issues.
Vernon Wise wrote in his statement: “Today we had to make the very difficult decision to part ways with our editor, Charlie Deitch. Charlie has served Pittsburgh City Paper and the people of Pittsburgh incredibly well in his tenure here and oversaw many positive changes at City Paper, including our newest redesign.
“Change is always difficult, and this was a difficult day. We are committed to the employees of CP, who work hard every day to put together a publication that we can all be proud of.
“We wish Charlie nothing but the best in his future endeavors.”
Alternative newsweeklies have struggled, Poynter reported last year, noting that the Association of Alternative Newsmedia’s membership has dwindled to 108 papers, from 135 in 2009.
Rich Lord: rlord@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1542. Liz Navratil contributed.
First Published: May 15, 2018, 3:52 p.m.
