Alternative Newsweeklies Director Jumps Ship to ASNE

By: Joe Strupp The longtime executive director of the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies is leaving that post to take over the American Society of News Editors.

ASNE revealed today that Richard Karpel, executive director of AAN since 1995, will become executive director of ASNE. He succeeds Scott Bosley.

"Richard Karpel brings a distinguished record of leadership of nonprofit
media associations to our organization," ASNE President Martin Kaiser said in a statement. "The selection committee was particularly impressed with his significant accomplishments building the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies. He brings a wealth of experience dealing with the many challenges ASNE faces as we work to grow our association."

Karpel, 50, has been in association management for more than 20 years, a release said. He will join ASNE on Dec. 1 and assume responsibilities of the executive director in January, succeeding Bosley, who announced his retirement earlier this year after nearly 11 years at the helm.

"I am thrilled to have been selected as the executive director of the
preeminent association of newsroom leaders," Karpel said in a statement. "I look forward to doing great things and having some fun at ASNE."

Karpel has been active in freedom of information issues through his
involvement with the Sunshine in Government Initiative, ASNE's release stated.

"He helped to foster an editorial culture at AAN, working closely with the association's members to upgrade the quality of the organization's programming and services," the announcement added. "During Karpel's tenure, AAN created a highly respected journalism contest, launched an annual writers workshop at the Medill School of Journalism, and established a nonprofit foundation to fund diversity-internship grants and a summer residency program at Medill designed to train minority journalists. He also founded a program of collaborative projects leading to coordinated national and local coverage of important issues in dozens of papers."

Karpel takes over ASNE at one of its most critical times. The organization recently placed its first two online editors on its board of directors and earlier this year expanded membership to online outlets and those in academia. It also cancelled its annual convention, slated for last April, because of the current economic situation among newspapers.

Karpel was chosen by top ASNE officers and unanimously approved by the Board of Directors. In addition to Kaiser, editor of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, the officers are Milton Coleman, senior editor of The Washington Post; Ken Paulson, president and chief operating officer of Freedom Forum; and Susan Goldberg, editor of The Plain Dealer in Cleveland.