Salient News Writer Ryan Cleland, Announces Departure From Magazine Following Dispute With Co-Worker Martha Schenk

It was a dramatic afternoon in the offices of the student magazine Salient, as staff gathered for the final news meeting of the trimester. What was expected to be a routine wrap-up quickly turned tense after senior news writer Ryan Cleland announced his departure from the publication following an alleged disagreement with co-worker Martha Schenk.

According to several students present at the meeting, discussions became increasingly heated while the news team debated coverage priorities for the upcoming issue. Witnesses described a “tense atmosphere” as disagreements came to a head, with Schenk reportedly telling Cleland once more, “All you do is look at men's balls! Is that really worth our student levies?” 

An angered Cleland allegedly responded “It was testicular cancer awareness!” before getting up and leaving the room.

“I came here to write stories that mattered,” Cleland told The Horses Mouth. “But lately it feels more like a battleground than a newsroom. And don’t even get me started on our editor, Phoebe Robertson. She just won’t leave the place. And, she’s got VUWSA CEO Matthew Tucker in her back pocket.”

The statement was met with silence from much of the editorial team, though several staff members later described the moment as “inevitable,” citing growing tensions behind the scenes.

Dan Moskovitz, another member of the news team, told The Horses Mouth: “It all went downhill once Ryan left our think tank and interviewed those darn Bolsheviks.” 

It is alleged, by other Salient staff writers, that the two of them ran a conservative think tank in their spare time as a way to reportedly “dewoke student news.” 

“He went all red on me,” Moskovitz continued.

Schenk reportedly denied any claim on pushing Cleland out of the publication telling The Horses Mouth “I thought he was going on exchange? Isn’t he going to Canada?”

Cleland initially denied the claim. However, upon asking for clarification from Wellington Global Exchange, The Horses Mouth can confirm that he is registered to spend the second trimester in Halifax, Canada.

Rumour has it Clelands leaving is merely a ploy by Salient to drum up publicity through dispute—similarly to how VUWSA treats those who complain about their social media strategy. 

Upon request, Salient editor Phoebe Robertson told The Horses Mouth “Why are you writing a piece about your own leaving? Can you please just do some proper journalism for once?” What that cryptic message meant remains to be seen.