Mike Hengel, the top editor of the Las Vegas Review-Journal, is stepping aside, less than two weeks after the family of casino mogul Sheldon Adelson took control of the newspaper.
One reporter said the newsroom was "stunned" by the announcement, which Hengel made on Tuesday evening in the midst of a turbulent period for Nevada's biggest newspaper.
A round of end-of-the-year buyouts were initiated before Adelson purchased the paper on December 10. Hengel was originally not eligible. But the eligibility rules were apparently changed for him.
According to tweets and people who were present for the announcement, Hengel told his staffers that he did not ask for a buyout, but that he was offered one shortly after the change in ownership. He did not say who made the offer. But he said he thought his relationship with the Adelson family would be "adversarial" and that it was best to let them pick their own editor.
"I think my resignation probably comes as a relief to the new owners, and it is in my best interest and those of my family," Hengel said.
Hengel's departure comes at a time of widespread unease about what the new owners intend to do, according to CNN Money.
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