Newspaper Tree Publisher, Editor Fired

By David Crowder / El Paso Inc.

The board of El Paso?s Newspaper Tree, a nonprofit news outlet stymied in its efforts to begin publishing online, has dismissed its publisher and editor.

El Paso Inc. has learned that publisher Louie Gilot and editor Reyes Mata III were fired a few days apart in late May as a result of internal disputes.

That leaves Newspaper Tree with one employee, investigative reporter Debbie Nathan, and lots of questions about its future.

The Texas non-profit has been waiting over a year for federal approval of the 501(c)3 status it needs to begin publishing online in El Paso.

Board president Richard Pineda confirmed that Gilot and Mata are no longer employed, but declined to discuss the circumstances surrounding their dismissal.

?I can?t comment on the personnel issue, but what I can say is the board is still committed to the mission we started with and the goals we have,? said Pineda, an associate professor in UTEP?s Communication Department

?As soon as we have the non-profit status, we still have an excellent reporter in Debbie Nathan and we are, I think, ready to have stories published,? he said.

When and if the Internal Revenue Service will approve its 501(c)3 status is an open question.

Its application and those of other aspiring online news outlets have been on hold since last year, as the IRS re-evaluates its conditions for non-profit news outlets.

Pineda, asked what he would like to see happen now, said, ?I would like us to find somebody that we can put in quickly.?

No one involved with Newspaper Tree will say much about what led to Gilot and Mata?s termination.

Editor’s Note: David Crowder is a former employee of Newspaper Tree

Read the full El Paso Inc. article here.