Alyson Hoge named managing editor in Little Rock

Alyson Hoge

Alyson Hoge, a 43-year newspaper veteran, has been named managing editor of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette in Little Rock.

Hoge, who has supervised reporting from the newspaper's Washington and state Capitol bureaus as deputy managing editor of news since 2015, will fill a position vacated with the promotion of Eliza Gaines, who recently was named executive editor.

Hoge, 63, will move into the new position Feb. 28.

Gaines, after taking maternity leave, will become executive editor in September.

"Her biggest strengths are her newsroom experience, her news judgment and the drive to find stories no one else has," Gaines said. "She's also embraced our newspaper's digital capabilities and I think she'll find great ways to move our product forward digitally. I'm excited to work more closely with her and can't wait to see how the newsroom thrives with Alyson as managing editor."

Hoge has worked for the Democrat-Gazette or its predecessor, the Arkansas Democrat, for nearly 43 years, starting as an obituary clerk in 1979. Within a year, she became a reporter based at the state Capitol. "I started at the Democrat at a time when you could start as a clerk and work your way up," Hoge said.

She has held numerous positions since, including night city editor and state editor, and has supervised the work at design and copy desks.

"I appreciate the confidence Eliza and top management have in me," she said. "I am a big believer in news and a believer that that Democrat-Gazette needs to be one of the prime sources of news for people."

Lynn Hamilton, president and general manager of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette Inc., said, "I am so happy for Alyson and for the Democrat-Gazette. Alyson personifies what this newspaper is and what our newsroom is capable of doing. Alyson came to us when she was 20 years old. At that time we were hiring a lot of young people — dozens, actually — with little experience. She has held a number of jobs through the years and has excelled in everything she has done. She's incredibly bright, she's aggressive at finding news."