January 31, 2018 Dear Colleagues, Publisher Mike Rianburg inormed me this week that I am being fired. Te reason: I advocated or transparency and air pay or our emale colleagues at the Daily Hampshire Gazette and its sister publications. A group o three talented and courageous women in the Gazette newsroom — reporters Lisa Spear and Emily Cutts and photo- journalist Sarah Crosby — complained in recent months that they were being underpaid, in light o their education, experience and contributions to our award-winning news reports. Tey were right. I went into Mike’s office and pushed or them — and others who had not yet complained, emale and male — to be paid equitably. I accept my share o blame or the situation that prompted the women’s protests. While I have always taken pride in seeking raises or deserving employees, I (and my boss) ailed to see the gap developing as we hired some male reporters at higher-than-existing rates based on their previous salaries or competing job offers. I appreciated the women pointing out the disparity and elt hon-or-bound to address it as quickly as possible. Te newswomen, along with some male colleagues, also asked or greater transparency rom management in how compensation decisions are made, or a staff gathering rather than exclusively one-on-one meetings. I supported these requests, asking Mike to authorize raises or these women and others in our amily o newspapers. I also advo-cated or a staff meeting at which we could do what the newspapers ask the leaders o other powerul institutions to do: Provide honest answers to air questions. Initially, Mike seemed to be a willing partner; he said he supported equity and approved some increases. But as more staffers clam-ored or raises and pressure on the budget increased, Mike became resentul and resistant in our closed-door meetings. He rejected the idea o a staff meeting and berated me or supporting it. “You should be a leader,” he said. “Instead, you are being led.” Funny. I thought being a leader meant precisely this — listening respectully to legitimate concerns and then responding to them in a clear and respectul way. Afer Lisa, Sarah and Emily reused to give up, Mike finally relented and asked me to schedule the staff meeting now set or next Tursday, Feb. 8 at 4 p.m. But he is none too happy about it or about the raises. In our last conversation beore he fired me, Mike repeatedly reerred to Lisa, Sarah and Emily as “girls” and “selfish young ladies.” I reject those demeaning terms. Instead, I would call our colleagues brave young women — women who are showing the way to a workplace defined by equity rather than exclusivity, a newsroom that stands or the things I’ve thought a newsroom should stand or since I began in this business 37 years ago: justice, respect and truth. I’ve worked or Newspapers o New England since 2000, first at the Valley News in New Hampshire and, since 2014, here. I’m proud o the role I’ve been able to play in helping talented journalists to do their best work, in leading us to accolades including New England Newspaper o the Year and — most importantly — in serving our communities with journalism that stands up to bullies rather than shrinking beore them. I walk out o here with my head held high, proud o the work that we’ve done together over the years. I won’t yield to bullying, and I know you will not, either. Every day, you make me proud. Jeff