After three female members of the Daily Hampshire Gazette newsroom were named in an all-staff email sent by a former executive editor, one is disputing his presented account of events.
After three female members of the Daily Hampshire Gazette newsroom were named in an all-staff email sent by a former executive editor, one is disputing his presented account of events.
"The narrative in Jeff's email does not accurately describe what I experienced over the last several months after voicing my concerns about pay disparity," said Sarah Crosby, a photojournalist with the Gazette. "The several closed-door meetings Jeff and I had continued a culture that was secretive, stressful and difficult to move the issue forward in."
Crosby and two other women - reporters Lisa Spear and Emily Cutts - were referenced by name in an all-staff email sent Wednesday. The women were named without their consent or knowledge prior to the message being sent.
In the letter, Jeffrey Good wrote "Publisher Mike Rifanburg informed me this week that I am being fired. The reason: I advocated for transparency and fair pay for our female colleagues at the Daily Hampshire Gazette and its sister publications."
Good joined Newspapers of New England - the parent company of the Daily Hampshire Gazette, Greenfield Recorder, Amherst Bulletin and the Valley Advocate - in 2000. He was promoted to executive editor of the company's Pioneer Valley newspaper group in 2014.
In an interview with MassLive on Wednesday, Good said pay disparity has been an ongoing issue in the newsrooms after pay raises were requested by several female reporters during their annual reviews during the fall of 2017. He named the three reporters who brought the issue to his attention in the all-staff letter.
In conversations, Good said Rifanburg referred to the female staff members as "girls" and "selfish young ladies."
Good said he has apologized to the three women. "Their role in leading this protest was well-known in the newsroom and my intention was to celebrate their good work. But [Crosby] is right; I should have asked."
Crosby said while unhappy about the distribution of the message, she is happy "pay parity is now being discussed across the newsroom" and "hopeful that the discussion will continue and lead to action."
Rifanburg has disputed Good's timeline, saying Newspapers of New England has been "actively engaged at the Gazette and Recorder in reviewing pay" since 2016, prior to Good's involvement.
He stated, "We started this review, not Mr. Good."