Melissa's New Gig

There's still a heck of a lot of stuff going on, but I didn't want to let today's news about Melissa Lalum's promotion to managing editor slip by without mention. This is a very encouraging sign for the direction the paper's taking and one that I think'll help us as a staff.

This gives the paper's #2 job to someone well versed in the presentation and visual side of things, which gives a nice counterpoint to its depth in news. Hopefully, this will lead to more opportunities for photo, art, design and copy folks. Her suggestions turned one of my stories, which was a fairly run-of-the-mill piece on shopping, into a very eye-catching centerpiece recently, so I think this'll be something that should benefit all of us.

And even more importantly from a union standpoint, she's got a great reputation for fairness and willingness to work with the staff. I think most people who've worked with her will tell you she's a good advocate for newsroom folks and that she'll go out of her way to help out when needed. This is exactly the kind of person you want as a manager, so we'll definitely look forward to working with her going forward. Hopefully, this should be another positive step toward our mutual goal of making the paper into a better place for all.

And that'll do it for me for tonight. See ya 'round.

-Brent