A few days after six of its top editors and one prominent columnist resigned in protest, four new editors have been selected as replacements at the Santa Barbara News-Press.

Announced yesterday, the appointments fill the positions of deputy managing editor, city editor, interim sports editor and contributing business editor. With one exception, the hiring was done from within the News-Press office.

Unlike hundreds of newspapers, television and radio stations around the world, neither yesterday’s press release nor the pages of the News-Press have reported what a few of its former and current employees say actually occurred. An article prepared by a News-Press staff writer detailing the reasons behind the resignations and the official response from upper management and ownership was not printed.

According to a current News-Press employee who asked not to be named, the effects of the controversy at the newspaper have kept the atmosphere in the office stressful and its employees on edge.

“It’s surreal and — how can I describe it — it’s like this heavy, thick tension in the air and you’re just waiting for the next ball to drop