There will be a new editor-in-chief at the Globe and Mail next week.
David Walmsley, who was most recently the director of content at CBC News, will return to the national newspaper where he previously worked to replace John Stackhouse, who held the top job since 2009.
Globe publisher Phillip Crawley expressed the inevitable enthusiasm for his new appointment via media column-writing publicist Simon Houpt:
Crawley: "David is known for his passion for journalism…open style of leadership…ability to adapt to a fast-changing news environment"—
Simon Houpt (@simonhoupt) March 19, 2014
The surprising announcement apparently marks the end of Stackhouse’s career with the publication after 22 years.
The Globe named him editor-in-chief five years ago to replace Edward Greenspon.
Since that time, the outlet has gone through a number of changes on par with most other mainstream media outlets, which included the recent departure of two of the three senior editors who worked most directly with the editor-in-chief: Elena Cherney and Derek DeCloet.
Employee buyouts, layoffs and requests for staff to take unpaid furloughs during the summer have also been part of Stackhouse’s stint.
The Globe also introduced digital subscriptions during this period — which were met with the usual chatter about the pros and cons of paywalls in the online journalism game.
But at least the outgoing editor-in-chief can boast that world-saving rockers Bono and Bob Geldof helped him do his job for one day, as guest editors in May 2010, for an edition focused on Africa.
Just last week, Stackhouse entertained the Canadian media elites and creative underclass alike by offering this explanation to subscribers about the increase in sex-related stories in the Globe:
Dear subscriber: You may have noticed more sex in the Globe and Mail lately. Some among our audience have pointed it out and wondered what’s happening.
Well, news is happening. Sex — low-brow and high — is a hot news topic and that won’t go away any time soon.
It’s also the focus of this Editor’s Note, my weekly take on the news.
First to the low. You may have heard about Belle Knox, the Duke University student turned porn star. Our Life reporter Zosia Bielski, whose writing focuses on relationships, interviewed the student and produced one of the most popular items on our site last week.
Our site got a bit spicier with an advice piece about oral sex and how a couple can come to terms with the fact that he wants it and she doesn’t. The piece and its headline got a lot of attention, and not for reasons we’d always want.
We see sex and personal relationships as important elements of our readers’ lives and intend to keep covering them. We also view sex as an important part of our social mores, which need to be discussed, debated and explored by The Globe. But we don’t need to do it with sensational headlines, which is why we changed the one about oral sex from “My girlfriend won’t give oral sex. What can I do?” to “How do I get my partner to change things up in bed?”
It’s a working rule I learned from The Guardian: Pursue low-brow news in a high-brow way, and high-brow news in a low-brow way.
For the high brow, we turn to the Supreme Court and its direction to the federal government to ensure the law protects the rights of sex workers. Our editorial last weekend pushed for proper legalization. We don’t want red -light districts; we do want sex workers to be respected under the law. Columnist Elizabeth Renzetti wrote another compelling piece arguing that sex work is work and needs to be treated equally under the law.
We will continue to foster debate in the weeks ahead, not to create digital sensations (though we’re not against that if the material is right) but to ensure Canada — and Globe readers — properly explore sexual issues from the street to the bedroom.
Have a great week,
John Stackhouse
The full memo from Globe and Mail publisher Phillip Crawley:
I am pleased to announce that David Walmsley will become Editor in Chief of The Globe and Mail, effective March 24, 2014.
David returns to The Globe after 20 months as Director of News Content at CBC News and Centres, responsible for all coverage on broadcast platforms, including TV, radio and digital. David is rejoining The Globe and Mail at a pivotal time for our industry. David is known for his passion for journalism, his open style of leadership, and his ability to adapt to a fast-changing news environment. He will provide a new perspective, as we evolve our business.
He succeeds John Stackhouse, who has been Editor in Chief since May 2009. John spearheaded our rapid transition towards delivering more Globe content on digital platforms after the successful relaunch of the newspaper in October 2010. Following this, he was also instrumental in the introduction of Globe Unlimited, our digital subscription product. While at The Globe, John became a five-time National Newspaper Award winner for feature writing, business reporting and international coverage and his guidance as Editor helped lead an extraordinary run of National Newspaper Awards, including 14 nominations announced this week. Before becoming Editor, he led the Report on Business for more than five years. I wish John well in his future endeavours, and on a personal note, I thank him for his many years of dedicated service to The Globe and Mail.
David is a familiar face having spent six years at The Globe between 2006 and 2012. He was successively National Editor and then Managing Editor. David also brings extensive experience of different editorial and business cultures from his time spent in senior roles at the National Post, the Toronto Star as well as the CBC. Prior to coming to Canada, David worked for Daily Mail in the UK, as well as the Daily Telegraph, the Daily Record, and the Belfast Telegraph. He is a dual citizen of Canada and Britain, and lives in the GTA with his wife Jennifer and their two sons.
As Editor in Chief, David will continue to strengthen The Globe’s reputation for outstanding journalism. This will include continuing to attract and grow great talent and inspire innovative thinking.
Please join me in welcoming David and recognizing John’s contributions.
Phillip
And one more! From CBC general manager and editor-in-chief Jennifer McGuire:
It is with mixed emotions that we pass on the news that David Walmsley has decided to leave CBC News.
There is regret because David has spent close to two years as the Director of News Content, expertly guiding the network assignment operation, and working with reporters, programs and platforms to increase the breadth and quality of our original journalism. Along the way he also found time to break some big stories himself. We will certainly miss him.
But we are also extremely happy for David as he returns to The Globe and Mail, and a new challenge as the editor-in-chief.
This was David’s second tour of duty at CBC News, working previously as the Executive Producer of Newsgathering and I know you will all join me in thanking him for his contributions here, and wishing him all the best at The Globe and Mail.
As of Monday, as an interim step, Jonathan Whitten will assume David’s duties in addition to his own.