Today in local media news: Kathy Best, newspaper editor for The Seattle Times, told the paper's staffers today that she will be stepping down and has accepted a job as editor at The Missoulian and The Ravalli Republic in Montana.
Best, a long-time journalist, was named the news giant's editor in 2013.
From Puget Sound Business Journal:
In an internal memo, Best told Seattle Times staff the reason for her departure is that the editor there "must be focused on creating a sustainable Seattle Times for the digital future."
"That's totally doable, but will require even more meetings and even more time working on business strategies and budgets than I already spend," she wrote. "That's not how I want to spend the last decade of my career in journalism."
According to The Missoulian, Best will begin her new job in Montana on June 27. And it sounds like she's ready for a new start:
āThe opportunity to lead the Missoulian and Ravalli Republic allows me to return to my first and deepest love ā great community journalism,āā Best said. āI canāt wait to help these talented newsrooms take their work to the next level, giving print and digital readers in western Montana relevant and engaging news they canāt get anywhere else. Weāre going to have some fun.āā
In her last year at the Times, Best has worked alongside her newsroom through staff buyouts and a couple publishing clusterfucks involving coded racist language.
