Charlotte Observer biz editor leaves for PR job

John Arwood, the business editor of the Charlotte Observer, has left the McClatchy newspaper after 24 years.

Wednesday was his last day. He’s leaving the Observer to join the communications team at Corning Optical, the maker of fiber-optic cable that’s moving its corporate headquarters from Hickory, North Carolina, to Charlotte. It’s a division of Corning Inc., based in Corning, New York.

Arwood starts work there on Sept. 18, and his title will be public relations and social media manager.

Arwood became the Observer’s business editor in 2011, and became metro/business editor in 2016, when the roles of metro editor and business editor were combined.

Prior to becoming business editor, he had served in a variety of editing roles at the Observer since 1993, including Page One editor.

Before that, Arwood was an assistant news editor at the Arkansas Gazette and a reporter at the Log Cabin Democrat in Conway, Ark.

Arwood has a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Central Arkansas and a master’s degree from the University of Missouri, where he also worked as an instructor.