Springfield 'State Journal-Register' Welcomes New Publisher

Walt Lafferty has been appointed publisher of The State Journal-Register in Springfield, Ill.

Lafferty, 49, has been president and publisher of the Courier Post in Camden, N.J., for the past three years. He succeeds Scott Bowers, who resigned last week as publisher of the State Journal-Register and The Rockford Register Star, both owned by GateHouse Media.

A Philadelphia  native, Lafferty started his newspaper career as a business manager at The Daily Times in Primos, Pa. He was general manager for the Goodson Newspaper Group from 1995 to 1998, and served as president and publisher of The Daily Record in Parsippany, N.J., from 1998 to 2006.