Former R-J columnist John L. Smith to join KNPR

By Ricardo Torres-Cortez

Wednesday, May 11, 2016 | 4:50 p.m.

Former Las Vegas Review-Journal columnist John L. Smith was hired today by KNPR, 88.9-FM.

Smith will regularly contribute to the “State of Nevada” program, analyze news and offer commentary, the station said.

Smith resigned two weeks ago from the R-J after management prevented him from writing about Las Vegas Sands boss Sheldon Adelson, who last December became the newspaper’s owner.

Adelson sued Smith in 2005 for defamation over a passage in his book, “Sharks in the Desert: The Founding Fathers and Current Kings of Las Vegas.” Smith won the lawsuit, but legal fees forced him into bankruptcy.

“We thought it was important that our community continues to hear John’s voice, so we extended the invitation immediately when we learned of his resignation from the Las Vegas Review-Journal,” said Nevada Public Radio President and CEO Flo Rogers.

R-J editor Keith Moyer told the New York Times the decision to have Smith not write about Adelson had been made before he was hired in January. Moyer agreed with the decision because there is “deep animosity” and Smith’s columns would give the perception of a conflict of interest. Smith said he was also instructed not to write about casino magnate Steve Wynn.

“If a Las Vegas columnist is considered ‘conflicted’ because he’s been unsuccessfully sued by two of the most powerful and outspoken players in the gaming industry, then it’s time to move on,” Smith wrote in a letter to coworkers the day he resigned.