AND THE HITS JUST KEEP ON COMING FOR THE DES MOINES REGISTER: Entire RAGBRAI staff resigns over Register’s handling of Carson King story:

A rift over the Des Moines Register’s handling of the Carson King story has led to the resignation of the entire staff of the Register’s Annual Great Bike Ride Across Iowa from the newspaper, effective immediately.

In a Tuesday post on RAGBRAI’s Facebook page, TJ Juskiewicz said the Register, “refused to offer me the opportunity to openly speak to the RAGBRAI Nation, and answer the hundreds of passionate questions asked about the future of RAGBRAI following the Des Moines Register’s handling of the Carson King story.”

Juskiewicz said his efforts to communicate with riders were blocked because “it did not mesh with the company’s PR narrative to spin the Carson King embarrassment.”

Juskiewicz says he was told the Register’s leadership, and public relations professionals “don’t want to issue any more public statements on this matter”.

But, Juskiewicz said the Register offered him “talking points for interviews regarding RAGBRAI if the Carson King situation comes up.”

So, 16-years after taking the job as RAGBRAI’s executive director, Juskiewicz, and his staff resigned.

“I can no longer be an effective leader when my principles are compromised by the leadership of Gannett/Des Moines Register,” said Juskiewicz.

Found via Iowahawk, who tweets, “This is one hell of a shoe drop: the entire RAGBRAI (Register’s Annual Great Bike Ride Across Iowa) staff resigns en masse in protest over the DMRegister’s Carson King fiasco, will start a new event with no affiliation to the paper,” adding, “For you non-Iowans, let me explain that this is a Big F’ing Deal. RAGBRAI has been a beloved state institution since 1973, attracts tens of thousands of riders, and is a major source of goodwill for the Register. This is a major kick in their nuts.”

To paraphrase Michelle Obama, for the first time in my life, I’m proud of a group of bicycle riders.