September 17, 2018

Imagine showing up for work one morning, being locked out of the office and having your email and website shut down. That’s what happened to 12 employees last Tuesday at the Missoula Independent, a 27-year-old alternative newsweekly based in Missoula, Montana. The decision was made by Lee Enterprises, the newspaper’s owner for the last year-and-a-half, but there was no warning. Employees were told they would receive salary and benefits through October 10, and instructed to contact the Missoulian, a Lee Enterprises-owned daily newspaper, to make arrangements to collect their personal belongings.