Shehad been at loggerheadswith the owners, who have recentlybeenaccusedoftakingamoreconservativeapproach to the newsandtrying torein in some of the magazine's moreaggressive reporting.
The newspaper Southern Metropolis Daily, known for its aggressivereporting, said the accident occurred in a factory building where chickens were being dismembered.
But officials and advocates can't pinpoint a reason for the recent rash of attacks or even whether it reflects more violence or more aggressivereporting of incidents.
At first, Mayer says, Abramson was excited, because Raines, who had once worked in the Washington bureau and served as the chief political correspondent, and who had won a Pulitzer Prize, was a proponent of deeper political coverage and aggressive investigative reporting.