The future of Jonathan Russell, editor-in-chief at Newsquest owned daily broadsheet The Herald is in question, having possibly taken a stance against the introduction of a lower budget being implemented at the publisher.
The Drum has learned that next week Newquest executives are set to travel to Glasgow to discuss the lowering of the budgets within the offices and Russell's absence this week has been connected to this.
Russell, for the moment, remains editor of the Scottish broadsheet.
A spokesperson for The Herald & Times Group confirmed that Russell was off at present but said that it did not comment on personnel matters.
An earlier report stated that the NUJ had been called in to represent Russell, but for the time being it is understood tat this is not the case.
The Herald, alongside sister titles The Sunday Herald and the Evening Times, has been subject to the same circulation decline recorded across the rest of the newspaper industry, meaning numerous budget cuts and restructures have been made over recent years as a result.