The mystery surrounding Newsday’s missing editors deepened yesterday as Editor-in-Chief John Mancini and Managing Editor Deborah Henley remained out of the newsroom for the fifth-straight day.
“It’s bizarre,” said one insider, who was left wondering who’s in charge ahead of today’s coverage of the history-making inauguration of Barack Obama as president.
Added another insider, “If any of the top editors know what’s going on, they’re not telling anyone.”
Meanwhile, Debby Krenek, another managing editor, was seen in the paper’s Melville, LI, offices after being absent Thursday and Friday.
Her presence yesterday fueled speculation that Krenek, who’s primarily in charge of Newsday’s online edition, might be tapped by owner Cablevision to replace Mancini.
“She’s here, but she’s in a meeting,” said a person answering Krenek’s office phone.
Mancini, Henley and Krenek did not return calls seeking comment. Cablevision referred all calls to Newsday, where a spokeswoman yesterday declined to comment.
Cablevision, which owns the Knicks, the Rangers and Madison Square Garden, in July paid $650 million to acquire the paper from Sam Zell’s troubled Tribune Co.
The Post on Sunday broke the story that Mancini and his two top deputies had been AWOL since Wednesday evening.
Newsday, for its part, reported yesterday that Krenek had been at a previously scheduled meeting out of the office Thursday and Friday.
The paper also insisted that Henley had been in contact with the newsroom by phone Thursday to monitor the paper’s coverage of the US Airways plane that crashed into the Hudson River. However, sources inside the paper said Henley did not call into the newsroom over the weekend as she typically does.
Mancini, meanwhile, was last seen at the paper Wednesday evening, heading to a meeting with Publisher Tim Knight.
While most insiders assume Mancini and Henley are out, the reasons remain murky.
“It suggests that the only reason they haven’t said anything is because whatever is being worked out isn’t finalized yet,” said one newsroom source.
Another insider said Mancini began removing personal items like family photos from his office after that Wednesday evening meeting.
Mancini has overseen at least a half-dozen major downsizings and has worked under three different corporate owners in his four years as editor-in-chief. He was seen as relatively popular with newsroom staff.
Yesterday morning, a person answering Mancini’s office phone said the editor was not yet in, but was “expected in later today.” By 2 p.m., that person said Mancini was not expected to be in yesterday.
For Krenek, a move to replace a popular editor at an embattled daily would be nothing new. In 1998, Daily News owner Mort Zuckerman had pushed out legendary editor Peter Hamill, and tapped Krenek to replace him. She was later ousted herself after a few years.