Pedersen to lead TNT newsroom, Washington state strategy

McClatchy on Wednesday announced a change of leadership at The News Tribune as well as the company’s Northwest region.

In a memorandum to staff, McClatchy president and CEO Craig Forman said Stephanie Pedersen will be promoted to President and Editor of The News Tribune and Washington State Regional Editor of McClatchy’s four newsrooms, which include The Olympian, The Bellingham Herald and the Tri-City Herald.

Pedersen now serves as executive editor and general manager of The Sun News in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, where she has led the newsroom for four years. She has been with McClatchy for 12 years.

“Stephanie will have responsibility across four Washington newsrooms to produce local journalism that makes a statewide impact,” Forman said in the memo. “She has been on the forefront of digital innovation and transformation at McClatchy, and we are confident that she will continue her record of achievement in Tacoma.”

Pedersen said she is “honored and excited” to be assuming her new role.

“A strong, reliable newspaper that’s dedicated to breaking news and accountability journalism is what every community deserves and should support, and I’m looking forward to being a part of this team of journalists who deliver on that promise,” she said.

Dale Phelps, editor of The News Tribune, and Rebecca Poynter, publisher of The News Tribune and The Olympian and vice president for local sales for the Northwest, will leave as part of the transition.

Phelps has worked as a copy editor and editor over more than four decades and two McClatchy newsrooms. He spent 19 years at the Kansas City Star, most of it as assistant sports editor, before moving to Tacoma in 1998. Hired initially as sports editor, he was promoted to managing editor in 2008 and to the executive editor in 2017.

As sports editor at The News Tribune, Phelps’ team earned Top 10 daily in the Associated Press Sports Editors’ contest six times and Top 10 Sunday four times. He also organized coverage of the Seattle Seahawks in the Super Bowl three times and planned the coverage of the 2015 U.S. Open at Chambers Bay.

“As a leader, he consistently positioned people on his team for success and has built, over time, a strong cohort of journalists and reporting that has fulfilled our vital mission — to produce strong, independent local journalism that is essential to the communities we serve,” Forman said.

Rebecca Poynter became publisher of The News Tribune and The Olympian in 2018 after two decades of industry experience, including in Michigan, Kentucky and Idaho.

“We are very grateful for Rebecca’s leadership over the past two years that spanned sales roles in the state of Washington as well as Idaho,” Forman said. “She is a strong advocate for the mission of local journalism and leaned into her role, connecting with the communities our newsrooms serve and energizing advertising sales teams to meet the needs of local businesses.”

With Poynter’s departure, Carolyn McCulligh will be promoted to Local West Advertising Director, responsible for California and Northwest markets.

Pedersen’s first day will be June 29.

The McClatchy Co. operates 30 media companies in 14 states and also owns 49.5 percent of The Seattle Times.