Chicago Tribune names Pugh executive editor

The following memo was sent out by Chicago Tribune general manager Par Ridder:

I am writing to let you know of a change in newsroom leadership. Mitch Pugh has been named executive editor. He will be replacing Colin McMahon, who has decided to leave the company.

Mitch comes to Chicago from Charleston, South Carolina, where he has been the executive editor of The Post and Courier since 2013. In this time, Mitch led the team to a 2015 Pulitzer Prize Gold Medal for Public Service and the paper has been a finalist in four other Pulitzer categories including breaking news, local reporting, feature photography, and feature writing. Under Mitch, the paper also earned a James Beard Award for its food content and a Gerald Loeb Award for its business content. In addition to running The Post and Courier newsroom, Mitch headed up the digital subscription team.

The search for a new editor included a diverse group of candidates both inside and outside of Tribune Publishing. Ultimately, it was decided that Mitch was the right person for the role given his significant journalistic achievements, leadership skills and experience driving digital subscriber growth.

Mitch will report to me and will start on August 30th. Chrissy Taylor will continue in her role as managing editor and will report to Mitch as will Michelle Lopez and Elaine Varvatos. Colin’s TCA and corporate teams will report into Wayne Lown.

Colin’s last day will be August 20th. Since joining the Tribune as a copy editor, Colin has served in a variety of roles including metro reporter, foreign correspondent and foreign editor, Perspective editor and, ultimately, editor-in-chief. He has excelled in each position and made significant contributions to the Tribune over this time. Colin has also been a wonderful colleague and partner to me. I am sorry to see him go but wish him the best.

During the next few months, Mitch will be in the market from time to time but will mostly work remotely until he and his family make the move to Chicago. Mitch is anxious to meet everyone and will be setting up meetings over the next few days.