The nonprofit poised to take over The Spokesman-Review at the end of October plans to keep suspended executive editor Rob Curley in a leadership role, drawing renewed opposition from the newspaper’s union.
Curley was suspended by the Spokesman in August as the paper was preparing to transfer ownership to a nonprofit he founded, Comma Community Journalism Lab. But as InvestigateWest and RANGE reported on Oct. 2, newsroom workers have raised alarm about alleged retaliation and ethical breaches and whether Curley is fit to lead the newspaper’s transition into a community-supported nonprofit venture. Comma board leadership told union members that Curley would oversee the philanthropic side of the business and also keep a seat on the board, according to an Oct. 20 statement by the Spokane Editorial Society, the collective bargaining unit for nonexempt newsroom employees.
“We strongly reject this decision. Scores of current and former employees showed the courage to either speak with investigators hired by Cowles Publishing or give quotes to local media about their adverse interactions with Curley over his 10-year tenure as editor,” the union said. “Those statements carry weight.”…