The Denver Post's former editorial page editor, Chuck Plunkett, joins Salon's Andrew O'Hehir to discuss why he stepped down from the newspaper in protest after his efforts to openly critique its hedge-fund owners Alden Global Capital and parent company Digital First Media, were shut down and silenced. Plunkett, who has been writing for the newspaper since 2003, told Salon he was "no longer able to do my job like a good journalist should."

Plunkett's resignation speaks to the larger national conversation around how local journalism is funded and the future for daily newspapers across America. Despite steep budget cuts and staff layoffs at the Denver Post, Alden Global Capital, who owns many newspapers across the country, is turning a massive annual profit on the Post. "We're not just facing neglect, we're facing censorship," Plunkett explained, pointing out that the big story here isn't that less resources are being dedicated to newsrooms-that's been going on for decades-it's more that "sinister" forces are behind it. "The erosion of local journalism, and quality local journalism is dangerous for our country," he added.