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The Canadian Press appoints veteran Andrea Baillie as editor-in-chief

Jul 24, 2019 | 10:51 AM

TORONTO — The Canadian Press is promoting managing editor Andrea Baillie to editor-in-chief, marking the first time a woman will oversee editorial operations at the national news wire.

The veteran journalist will take the place of Stephen Meurice, who stepped down in April.

Baillie is a “passionate CPer” with a deep knowledge of how the news service works and what it stands for, CP president Malcolm Kirk said in a memo to staff.

“Andrea is uniquely poised to steer the CP newsroom during a tumultuous, but exciting time in the media landscape,” he said. 

“She has unwavering respect for our core values, but also has her sights clearly set on the future, understanding that we must continually adapt and evolve to remain relevant and strong.”

Baillie said she is honoured to be given the chance to head up CP’s news team.

“The first-hand, nuts-and-bolts reporting we’ve always been known for feels more vital than ever,” she said.

“And we will continue to innovate and change to remain strong in a rapidly shifting media landscape.”

Baillie started with CP more than 20 years ago handling statistics on the Sports desk and moved on to roles as a copy editor, general assignment reporter and Queen’s Park correspondent.

She oversaw the Entertainment/Lifestyles department for eight years, supervising the Health report and quarterbacking coverage of the Grammy and Juno Awards.

Baillie has been managing editor for the last 4 1/2 years, co-ordinating coverage of breaking news that most recently included the Humboldt Broncos bus crash in Saskatchewan, the Danforth shooting in Toronto and the Boeing 737 Max plane crash in Ethiopia.

The company plans to seek a new managing editor from among existing staff.

 

The Canadian Press