Detroit News business editor leaving for PR job

Susan Carney, the business editor at the Detroit News, has resigned to accept a job with public relations firm Burson-Marsteller, where she will work on the Ford account, reports Crain’s Detroit Business.

Bill Shea writes, “Is her decision to leave The News after a decade the result of the boondoggle in March that saw critic Scott Burgess briefly resign after an editor (not Carney) water down his savage review of the Chrysler 200 after a dealership complained to management — an incident that resulted in the publisher apologizing to Burgess and readers?

“Or is she like a lot of mid-level daily newspaper managers and simply looking for more human hours and the better pay that comes with almost every professional job outside of journalism?

“Probably both. From my own past experience, and what I’m told goes on at both Detroit dailies, the mid-level editors do thankless yeoman’s work in a brutal environment that saps much of the joy out of journalism. And it’s in an atmosphere of dwindling resources and increased content demands at a money-losing newspaper.

“I emailed Carney and News‘ Editor and Publisher Jon Wolman to find out, but I don’t imagine they’re going to say much. I’ll update here with any comments I get.”

Read more here. Shea posts an e-mail from the paper saying that Carney will be recused from overseeing auto coverage leading up to her last day at work, which is June 22.