Columbus Biz First hires Somerson as managing editor

Mark Somerson

The Columbus Business First newspaper in Ohio has hired veteran Columbus Dispatch journalist Mark Somerson as its managing editor.

He replaces Doug Buchanan, who became editor of the paper when longtime editor Dom Cappa retired earlier this year.

A story on its website states, “Somerson brings to the paper nearly 30 years’ experience in the news business, including the last 15 years as an assistant metro editor at the Dispatch, supervising coverage of the business of health care, environmental issues, neighborhood development and more, in addition to supervising a number of special projects and overseeing sections including Insight, Science and Your Health.

“Prior to becoming an editor, he spent a decade reporting on transportation, public health, science issues, medical research and other beats.

“At the Dispatch he helped oversee the paper’s intern program for the metro and state desk, hiring and mentoring student journalists in training.”

Read more here.

Chris Roush

Chris Roush was the dean of the School of Communications at Quinnipiac University in Hamden, Connecticut. He was previously Walter E. Hussman Sr. Distinguished Professor in business journalism at UNC-Chapel Hill. He is a former business journalist for Bloomberg News, Businessweek, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, The Tampa Tribune and the Sarasota Herald-Tribune. He is the author of the leading business reporting textbook "Show me the Money: Writing Business and Economics Stories for Mass Communication" and "Thinking Things Over," a biography of former Wall Street Journal editor Vermont Royster.