Followup: Detroit News explains resigning of auto critic Burgess [w/video]

The Detroit News has set about attempting to explain its side of a recent flap that caused the paper's auto critic, Scott Burgess, to leave the publication. During a recent recording of Autoline After Hours, Burgess said that he left the paper because of the motivations behind the editing of his review of the 2011 Chrysler 200.

Burgess said that on March 11, he was told that an advertiser with the paper had complained about certain language in the review and that he was to remove portions of the copy from a version of the article published online. Burgess did so, but said that he later regretted the move and resigned from the paper.

The Detroit News Editor and Publisher, Jonathan Wolman, meanwhile said that the changes to the copy in no way changed the overall conceit behind the Burgess review. Instead, it simply removed text that was "especially grating." Wolman said that the overall intent wasn't to make the piece softer on the 200, but was to make editing improvements. Wolman acknowledged that his publication had received a complaint from an advertiser about the article. The Detroit News has since republished the review in its original form. Click past the jump to watch Burgess explain things on Autoline After Hours.

[Sources: The Detroit News, Autoline After Hours]

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