The Des Moines Register announced today that executive editor Amalie Nash will soon start a new job supervising the work of “about 50” Gannett news organizations “in the Midwest and the west side of the country.”
Nash, who has served as the Register’s executive editor since January 2014, has focused heavily on watchdog reporting and innovation.
She advocated for changes to Iowa’s public records laws and spearheaded a push for access to public records, including two lawsuits seeking records in high-profile cases. She also was one of the editors of the award-winning project “Harvest of Change,” the first virtual reality news project in the country to be designed for the Oculus Rift platform.
Nash oversaw the Register’s award-winning coverage of the 2016 Iowa caucuses, which broke digital traffic records and saw the organization launch new initiatives such as public forums and mock caucuses.
I enclose below background on those open records lawsuits.
Nash will be in charge of the search for her successor, while the newspaper’s news director Carol Hunter “will serve as interim editor until Nash’s replacement is hired.” I’ll update this post with the job listing when one becomes available.
My probably impossible dream is that the new executive editor will make the Register’s website more user-friendly, with as few auto-play videos as possible. Those videos are usually a waste of time for reporters and readers, especially when there is no extra content, just a writer summarizing an article out loud. Most online news consumers would rather read a story.
UPDATE: Added below comments from Randy Evans, executive director of the Iowa Freedom of Information Council, for which Nash has served as first vice president.
SECOND UPDATE: Added the job description Gannett posted on August 9.
From William Petroski’s Des Moines Register story on March 28, 2014:
One lawsuit was filed against the Iowa Public Information Board, which has denied the Register’s request for a video depicting a state worker restraining a 17-year-old girl at the Iowa Juvenile Home on Nov. 4, 2012. The worker, who has been terminated, slammed the girl’s head against a concrete wall, according to testimony in a state unemployment hearing. The Register has requested the video since May 2013.
The second lawsuit was filed by the Register against the Iowa Department of Public Safety and Commissioner Larry Noble in an effort to obtain law enforcement reports in the death of Michael Zubrod, 39, of Charles City, who was subject to multiple Taser jolts while in the custody of Worth County deputies on Sept. 22, 2013. A Taser is weapon that delivers an electrical charge to incapacitate a person. The Register has requested the reports since the incident occurred, and the case is now closed. […]
The Iowa Department of Human Services has declined to release the Iowa Juvenile Home video, arguing it is a medical record that must be kept confidential and that the state could lose federal funds if it made the recording public. The Register appealed DHS’ decision to the Iowa Public Information Board, which sided with the DHS last month in a 6-3 vote to keep the video secret. The worker shown in the video has been criminally charged.
The Register’s lawsuit seeks to reverse the Public Information Board’s decision, arguing the panel’s reasoning was incorrect and failed to take relevant information into account. The lawsuit also points out that the Department of Human Services released a similar video in May 2013 and even purchased special software to blur a teenager’s face in that video before refusing to release the second video. […]
The Register’s lawsuit argues the DCI does not have legal authority to keep reports about the Zubrod case sealed and that the community interest would be better served by disclosing them. The lawsuit relies on a 1994 decision in which the Iowa Supreme Court ordered the DCI to release a similar report involving a case of alleged police brutality. The state Supreme Court concluded “any public harm created by the disclosure of the DCI investigatory report is far outweighed by the public harm accruing from its nondisclosure.”
UPDATE: Iowa Freedom of Information Council executive director Randy Evans commented via e-mail,
I’m excited for Amalie and this bigger role for her in Gannett. But at the same time, my colleagues and I at the Iowa FOI Council hate to see her go. She has been such a passionate and articulate voice on FOI issues in Iowa — the public’s access to police body camera and dash camera videos, the growing scope of the open records law’s exemption for law enforcement investigative files, and the cost of access to government records.
I will be talking with officials at the Register about selecting a replacement for Amalie on the FOI Council’s board of trustees.
SECOND UPDATE:
Help lead The Des Moines Register and the USA TODAY NETWORK’s Plains region in agenda-setting journalism, community engagement experiences and industry-leading innovation.
The Des Moines Register is Iowa’s largest and most influential news organization, with 16 Pulitzer prizes and recent national awards that include an Edward R. Murrow and National Press Foundation achievement. The Register is known for its political coverage that includes being a national leader in Iowa caucuses coverage, investigative journalism that has changed laws and held officials accountable, and a strong editorial voice that provokes thought and drives conversation.
Des Moines is Iowa’s rapidly growing capital city, with a downtown in the midst of a building boom. The city is a hub of government action, business activity and cultural affairs, with a metro population of 569,633. The area boasts a downtown sculpture garden and skating rink, Riverwalk and recreational trails that connect with others Central Iowa trails, and a blossoming urban neighborhood of lofts, shops and restaurants. Des Moines remains a comfortably sized metro area with reasonable commutes and ranks as one of the top places to live nationally. And every July, thousands of visitors descend on the state for the Register’s Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa (RAGBRAI), the world’s oldest and largest recreational bike ride – and just one of the many popular events hosted annually by the Register.
The successful candidate for this positon will supervise the award-winning Register newsroom, as well as serve as Regional Editor/Plains for the USA TODAY NETWORK, which includes Iowa City, Iowa; Fort Collins, Colorado; Springfield, Missouri; Great Falls, Montana; St. Cloud, Minnesota; Sioux Falls, South Dakota; and Baxter, Arkansas. In this role, the editor will work closely with the Executive Regional Editor/West, coordinating coverage, elevating local journalism and participating in projects across the USA TODAY NETWORK.
The successful candidate has impeccable journalism credentials, outstanding leadership skills, and a keen grasp of the ever-changing digital space, including a strong knowledge of video storytelling. This position is devoted to leading outstanding public service journalism, guiding the continuing transformation in delivery of news and information and audience engagement, developing new approaches to grow our reach among targeted segments across all platforms and achieving newsroom performance metrics. The individual is people focused, has high standards, remains focused on the most important priorities and opportunities, and easily shifts between strategy and execution. Additionally, the executive editor serves as a trusted strategic partner throughout the organization and as a trustworthy leader in the community. This position reports to the executive regional editor for the west for the USA TODAY NETWORK and works closely with the president in Des Moines.
Leadership – Leading with Foresight
• Uphold the highest standards of journalistic integrity and credibility
• Provide exemplary leadership in developing and executing the strategic vision.
• Provide leadership and be knowledgeable in state and local news, investigative journalism, public service, and government issues.
• Champion change management efforts that include strong communication of the company’s strategic initiatives, purpose, vision, culture and plan.
• Utilize organizational development strategies in designing structure that inspires high performance.
• Lead the planning and oversee execution of content strategies with a keen eye focused on strategic audiences. Special emphasis is placed on digital and other new platforms. Creativity and an ability to develop and execute innovative approaches are essential.
• Facilitate strong community connections with a relevant editorial voice and personal interaction.People Management & Development
• Attract, retain and develop top talent.
• Understand and execute work/life balance strategies for employees.
• Be a champion of diversity – with the understanding that diversity includes everyone and drives customer and operational innovation.
• Manage for results in a metrics-driven environment.Product & Content
• Uphold the highest journalism standards across digital and print platforms, strongly support the First Amendment and conceive, pursue and execute watchdog reporting.
• Develop and implement a multi-platform digital vision and strategy focused on achieving target audience specific goals and objectives.
• Collaborate with other departments in the development and implementation of multi-platform products to grow audience and engagement.
• Utilize multiple and diverse sources (individuals, disciplines, bodies of knowledge) for ideas and inspiration.
• Ensure the newsroom’s operational and news hole budgets are managed according to operational needs and priorities in accordance with the President.Measurements of Success
• Impactful journalism that helps improve our community and makes a difference in our readers’ lives.
• Fulfillment of purpose in serving our state and communities with a diverse workforce.
• Participation in creation of successful products that meet the needs of consumers.
• Measurable contributions to the achievement of audience goals on all platforms.QUALIFICATIONS/EXPERIENCE
• Bachelor’s Degree or higher.
• Minimum of five years in significant leadership roles in a Newsroom with demonstrated success.
• Clear understanding of the First Amendment and the highest regard for upholding those standards.
• Experience in high-level decision-making with complex, impactful or sensitive news content.
• Experience working in industries undergoing substantial change and transformation.
• A history of successful leadership, innovation and goal achievement.
• Demonstrated change leader who collaborates and communicates effectively.
• Personal charisma, comfortable with public speaking and a commitment to staff interaction.
• Understanding of the changing media landscape and ability to adapt strategies that address continually changing market and consumer needs and desires.
• Demonstrated strong competitive instincts and intellectual curiosity.
• Demonstrated ability to effectively manage and coordinate in an environment of accountability.
• Demonstrated track record in recruiting a highly successful leadership team highly desirable.
• Experience driving a successful turnaround or transformation highly desirable.