Michael Kilian Credit: Courtesy Burlington Free Press
Michael Kilian, a former associate editor of the Burlington Free Press, is returning to the paper to lead its newsroom.

Kilian held the No. 2 post at the Freeps from 2010 to 2013 before decamping for the Daily Times of Salisbury, Md. He’s spent the past two years as news director of the Cincinnati Enquirer. He returns to the Free Press as executive editor, the paper reported Thursday afternoon.

“Burlington, the communities surrounding it and indeed the entire state of Vermont have more news per capita than anywhere else I’ve been a journalist,” Kilian told the Freeps. “I’m excited and thrilled to be returning to the shores of Lake Champlain and guiding the talented Free Press team.”

He’ll take over at the Free Press on March 5.

The announcement comes less than three weeks after Gannett, the paper’s corporate parent, fired executive editor Denis Finley for posting a series of controversial tweets.

In the interim, Emilie Stigliani has served as executive editor, a title that she will cede to Kilian in March.

Stigliani will stay with the paper in “whatever role she and I figure out makes the most sense,” Kilian said in an interview. “She’s an invaluable part of the organization.”

Stigliani, who started at the Free Press after Kilian left, said in an email that she has “a huge amount of respect for what he has accomplished as a newsroom leader.”

Company president Jim Fogler, who worked with Kilian during his first tour in Vermont, called the new executive editor a “journalist’s journalist” who is “committed to our community.”

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Sasha Goldstein is Seven Days' deputy news editor.

5 replies on “Media Note: Kilian Returns to Lead the Burlington Free Press”

  1. Its too bad Mr Finleys career was sacrificed to the PC gods of intolerance.
    All because he had the nerve to say Vermont was one step closer the Armageddon for seeking to add a third gender option on our drivers licenses
    An issue brought to the forefront by the director of the pride center of Vermont- Rex Butt- whose very name is a childish play on the phrase “wrecks butt”

    it truly is insane that a man calling himself Rex Butt can ruin the lives of other people in the pursuit of what has become leftwing nuttery

    and what is worse, Is that any comment pointing out what Rex Butt”s name implies is removed.

    which is silly as he named himself that name. It should not be removable grounds to call the man by the name he himself chose

    lets see if seven days keeps it classy and allows my %100 factual comment

  2. To Snow Creek: Mr. Finley’s career wasn’t “sacrificed to the PC gods of intolerance,” as you seek to characterize it. Mr. Finley sacrificed his own career to the demons of poor judgment, a big mouth, boorish behavior, and violation of his profession’s and his employer’s code of ethical conduct. Finley has nobody to blame but himself.

  3. “Mr. Finley sacrificed his own career to the demons of poor judgment, a big mouth, boorish behavior, and violation of his profession’s and his employer’s code of ethical conduct”

    How so?

    Did you read his comment?

    It was extremely PG in nature

    Frankly the name of the man who is the director of the pride center – the man who pushed for a third gender- is FAR more offensive in nature than Mr Finley’s comments

    the fact is the Mr Finley was the victim of what is apparently a professionally troll- Rex Butt

    its too bad no one in our statehouse had the guts to call out Mr Butt for the absurdity that is his name and his agendas- trolling the public with nonsense

    There is no third gender

    and we will have to build new prisons, establish new bathrooms, create new laws and bend over in a myriad of ways if Rex Butt gets his way

    its a joke

    and its time for the adults in the room to start talking about the elephant that is mocking the public

  4. Can anybody explain what this means? It sounds like we have more cubic cm’s of oxygen or something up here

    …”Burlington, the communities surrounding it and indeed the entire state of Vermont have more news per capita than anywhere else Ive been a journalist”

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