The newspaper that serves the Upper Valley of Vermont and New Hampshire named a new editor this week — Maggie Cassidy will be the next editor of the Valley News.
She'll be the first female editor in the paper’s history, and she comes to the role after several years as the paper’s web editor.
Cassidy starts her new job in mid-December. She said one of her first tasks will be preparing the staff for a change to the paper's print edition.
The Valley News will shrink the width of its paper in the coming year. It will also shift its printing operation from the Upper Valley to Concord, New Hampshire, where the paper will be printed along with several other newspapers in the region, Cassidy explained, including the Concord Monitor.
Cassidy said those changes will be tough, but she understands why they're occurring.
"I wouldn't be taking this job if I didn't have faith in the long-term vitality of the Valley News and that these decisions are being made so that the paper can stick around," Cassidy said.
At the same time, Cassidy said the paper's website will be "an ever-increasing part" of its operation. She said increasing the paper's digital presence has helped the outlet listen to readers and non-readers, while also staying true to what the paper sees as good journalism.
Maggie Cassidy, incoming editor of the Valley News, spoke to VPR's Henry Epp. Listen to their full conversation above.
