Noelle Phillips, a reporter for The Denver Post, was among the journalists who took part in a protest against the newspaper’s hedge-fund owner in Midtown Manhattan on Tuesday. Along with a dozen other sign-wielding protesters from newspapers across the country, Ms. Phillips chanted slogans outside the Lipstick Building, where Alden Global Capital, the company behind the newspaper chain Digital First Media, has its headquarters.

“As a reporter, what do you do when someone won’t answer your questions?” she said. “You go knock on their door.”

Journalists at The Post have taken the lead in making public their displeasure with Alden and Digital First Media, the owner of more than 90 publications nationwide, including The Orange County Register, The Pioneer Press of St. Paul and The Mercury News of San Jose, Calif.

Alden runs the newspapers at a high profit margin while cutting costs significantly, often through layoffs, and the Denver crew has lost patience. In its April 8 issue, The Post published a six-page opinion section critical of management.