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ASNE urges owners of Las Vegas Review-Journal to go public

 
The American Society of News Editors stands with other news organizations and advocacy groups as we urge the new owners of the Las Vegas Review-Journal to stop hiding and reveal themselves to their dedicated staff and the community they now serve.
 
The American Society of News Editors stands with other news organizations and advocacy groups as we urge the new owners of the Las Vegas Review-Journal to stop hiding and reveal themselves to their dedicated staff and the community they now serve. 

We believe that good faith with news consumers is the foundation of good journalism. We also believe the primary purpose of gathering and distributing news and opinion is to serve the general welfare by informing people and enabling them to make judgments on the issues of our time.
Journalism is all about transparency, one of the pillars of trust between a community and its news organization. The Review-Journal owners want to remain secret, a choice that is faithless to the public trust and the talented journalists that work every day to provide an accurate, impartial news report for the community they serve.
"It would be hypocritical of the owners to say they're in the truth-telling business if they don't tell the truth about themselves," said ASNE President Pam Fine, Knight Chair for News, Leadership and Community at The University of Kansas. 
Any new owners of a news organization should understand the importance of maintaining and reinforcing the high ethical standards the staff has built with their community. It is troubling to see owners of the Review-Journal withhold information about their identity.

"Citizens expect to know who owns one of the most important and powerful institutions in their community," Fine said. "We at ASNE join with others who say it's critical the owners make themselves known." 

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