Denver Post assistant biz editor named SPJ prez

Christine Tatum, an assistant business editor at the Denver Post, became the new president of the Society of Professional Journalists at its annual meeting last week.

Before working in Denver, Tatum, 35, was a reporter for the Greensboro News & Record in North Carolina and for the Arlington Heights Daily Record in Illinois. She also worked for the Chicago Tribune as a reporter. She was a reporter at the Post before becoming an assistant business editor.

Her “Downloads” technology column appeared weekly in the Tribune’s business pages and was the basis of a regular television segment on CLTV, the Tribune Co.’s local cable news channel in Chicago. Tatum also produced chicagotribune.com’s technology section.

From the convention, Kristin Longley of Michigan State University wrote, “Before running for the National Board, Tatum was Legal Defense Fund chairwoman, and since then she has continued an unwavering defense of First Amendment rights.

“One of Tatum’s goals as president is to raise awareness about the changing face of journalism and, specifically, the newspaper industry. It’s an ‘exciting’ time in journalism with tools such as the Internet and interactive media, and newspapers need to reflect that shift, she said.”

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