by
Stephen Chapman
After announcing he had quit as Editor of Newsquest’s Yorkshire weekly titles, in February, Jon Stokoe has said he’s now “done” with local journalism.
Stokoe, a one time Editor of The Dalesman, will be moving over the Pennines to become Communications Manager of Manchester-based Clarity Business Travel.
Writing on LinkedIn last night, alongside images of his first and last newspapers, he said:
“And that’s me done in local journalism – these two front pages are dated 10.060 days apart..
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“The one on the left is this week’s Gazette & Herald, which I put to bed last night before logging off from local journalism for the final time.
“The one on the right is the front page of my home town newspaper, the Whitby Gazette, dating back to September 1995, where I began my career as a trainee reporter.
“It would be fair to say that between those two dates there have been many highs and lows.”
He continued:
“I’ve had the chance to work with so many talented people along the way who have taught me so much. I’ve also worked with a few people who have taught me how not to do things!
“One thing is for sure – local journalism is still so important to our communities and I’m proud to have played a little part. I’d still urge you all to go out to buy your local newspaper and subscribe online.”
He explained that the reason he was seeking a “fresh challenge” was because while the industry “continues to evolve” it’s “not all for the better.”
Stokoe officially joins Clarity on April 24th.
