The editor of a group of South West newspapers has announced he is to leave after seven years in the role and 17 years with the company.
Andy Cooper, editor-in-chief of Northcliffe’s Cornwall and Devon Media, and editor of weekly title the North Devon Journal will leave the company in April.
Andy first joined Northcliffe Media in 1995 as editor of the Brentwood Gazette, and has edited the North Devon Journal for two spells during his career.
He moved to Barnstaple in 1997 as editor of the North Devon Journal and then moved to Truro in 2005 as editor-in-chief of Cornwall and Devon Media which includes The Cornishman, the West Briton and the Cornish Guardian. Andy returned to Barnstaple to edit the Journal in 2009, while retaining the role of editor-in-chief.
Said Andy: “I am a firm believer that all editors have a ‘shelf life’ and after ten years in total editing the Journal it’s time for me to move on.
“I have had an absolutely fantastic time working with Northcliffe Media and have been privileged to meet and work with some fantastic people across the company.
“I shall miss the colleagues, past and present, who I have worked closely with at Cornwall and Devon Media and in particular the staff at the North Devon Journal who are a fantastically loyal, hard-working, talented bunch of colleagues.”
Trevor Lee, Managing Director of the North Devon Journal and Cornwall & Devon Media said: “Under Andy’s editorship the North Devon Journal has been one of the most successful weekly newspapers in the UK in newspaper sales terms.
“Andy has been a terrific ambassador for the Journal and has forged many contacts across the public and private sector. He has been a great supporter of all that is North Devon and over the years has campaigned for many great local causes and events. The huge success of the North Devon Business and Sports Awards are testimony to Andy’s endeavours.
“Andy will leave behind one of the UK’s best local newspapers. We now begin the search for a new Editor for the Journal. We will be looking for someone who can make a real difference to the paper and the community it serves.”
The process to appoint a successor will begin immediately.
I get the feeling there is something we are not being told. It’s a brave man/woman who walks out on a job with the carnage on editorial floors across the land. Has he won the pools, asked an old man yesterday?
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They seem to be letting top notch journalists go. When you move people of Andy’s calibre on your product will suffer. I think he may ‘pop’ up soon not a million miles away!
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My first ever editor at the Brentwood Gazette and still the best. Good luck
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The best editor I have ever worked for and still remains a huge inspiration to me. All the best for the future.
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THE best editor I’ve ever worked with.
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