In March, the papers’ owner, Block Communications, merged the editorial pages of the two publications, appointing Mr. Burris as editor, vice president and editorial director. He has since written several editorials praising the president, part of a rightward shift by the once-liberal editorial page.

Mr. Burris said Friday that while he may be more to the right than Mr. Rogers, his goal is to make sure The Post-Gazette is “independent and thoughtful” in its approach, without any ideological intent.

“I’m certainly not in Trump’s base and I don’t think our publisher is, we just don’t think he’s Satan,” Mr. Burris said. “We never said ‘don’t do Trump cartoons.’ A Trump cartoon every day is not interesting, and a Trump cartoon every day that’s not funny and is just enraged is not particularly effective.”

Mr. Burris added that his role in some of the changes to the editorial page has been overstated. “This sort of portrayal of me as a right-wing yahoo riding in on a steed from Ohio with a red cap on is just silly and it’s belied by — well, just read my stuff.”

But on the Post-Gazette’s Friday editorial page, a statement attributed to the editorial board professed “gratitude and affection” for Mr. Rogers. “There has never been any intention to silence or suppress Mr. Rogers. Nor would we ever ask him to violate the dictates of his conscience. Rather, we have sought to engage in the necessary journalistic practices of editing, gatekeeping and collaboration.”