Last Spring, a number of veteran reporters at the Commercial Appeal began handing in their resignations. Readers would later learn that they'd been hired by a startup online venture called The Daily Memphian, a nonprofit funded by Memphis philanthropists as a response to the continued thinning of their local newspaper.
C.A. Executive Editor Mark Russell says he was initally disappointed by the departures. At the same time, he still had to run Gannett's Memphis franchise, which was tied into a network of Gannett-owned papers across the state and country.
Since June, however, Russell has rebuilt his staff with a diverse group of new reporters. He believes that competition is good for journalism in Memphis, and is now focused on restoring the confidence of readers.
