While the search for a permanent Pioneer Press editor to replace Thom Fladung continues, Senior Editor/Local News Sue Campbell is serving as interim.
Because Fladung eschewed a managing editor during his tenure, Campbell is the highest-ranking editor on the news side, supervising public safety, courts, cops, politics among other beats. A help-wanted ad for the editor’s job remains up, with a March 1 expiration date.
Fladung’s job isn’t the only one open; Dave Orrick has moved from St. Paul City Hall to the state Capitol, filling the slot left by Jason Hoppin. The internal job posting remains open, so Orrick’s role isn’t set in cement. He works alongside Bill Salisbury.
So who’s covering the city pols? “Urban life” reporter Frederick Melo recently joked he’s “officially covering St. Paul City Hall+the Ramsey County Board, the Met Council, rail, churches, 17 neighb groups and panic attacks,” but Campbell says other reporters will help out until a hire is made.
There was also a small dust-up last week invovling the national union representing PiPress workers and Dean Singleton, executive chairman of owner MediaNews Group (MNG).
Union chief Bernie Lunzer said a conversation led him to believe MNG’s copy and production desks might be consolidated nationally. Singleton fired back that there are “no plans for ‘national consolidation’ of MNG’s editing processes.”
MNG has aggressively consolidated jobs at local clusters in places such as northern and southern California. Here, the Pioneer Press stands alone; the closest MNG paper is in Michigan.
