New editor preparing to lead The Mirror staff
Effective Monday, The Mirror of Tonganoxie and the Basehor Sentinel newspapers will have a new top manager.
John Taylor, editor of The Lansing Current newspaper, also will become editor of The Mirror and the Sentinel. Taylor has been editor of The Current since November 2004, when The World Company of Lawrence launched the weekly newspaper.
Taylor replaces Caroline Trowbridge, who has led The Mirror as its editor and publisher since November 1999. Trowbridge has been editor of the Basehor Sentinel since April 2005.
Trowbridge will return to The World Company’s Lawrence operations, where she will serve as assignment director for the Lawrence Journal-World, as well as the company’s online and television operations.
“We are very fortunate to have top-quality editors like Caroline and John in our organization. This restructuring will enable us to make even better use of their talents and abilities for the benefit of our readers and viewers in Northeast Kansas,” said Ralph Gage, chief operating officer of The World Company. “We’re pleased we’ll be able to coordinate news coverage of Leavenworth County communities under the direction of a superior editor like John, and at the same time satisfy Caroline’s interest in responsibilities that will utilize her experience in those communities, plus other areas where we have news operations.”
Taylor said he was looking forward to the added responsibilities.
“Caroline and her staffs have set the bar high in Tonganoxie and Basehor, and with their help — and the help of the staff in Lansing — I’m confident we can continue to deliver excellent news products in print and online to our readers,” he said.
Trowbridge said leaving The Mirror and the Sentinel would be bittersweet.
“I’ve worked with The Mirror staff since our company purchased the newspaper in September 1999 and with the Sentinel staff for about two years,” she said.
“During the more than seven years I’ve worked in southern Leavenworth County, I believe we’ve delivered two excellent newspapers to our readers. I’ve been fortunate to meet some terrific folks and work with some terrific people, most notably Lisa Scheller, Shawn Linenberger and Lara Hastings. We’ve made a strong team, and I believe John is an excellent choice to lead this staff of talented professionals.”
The Mirror has been named the nation’s best non-daily newspaper four times in the past six years by Inland Press Association of Chicago. In addition, The Mirror and the Sentinel consistently have won awards from Kansas Press Association.
“John is a strong editor who believes in community newspapers,” Trowbridge said. “I know our readers will enjoy working with him.”
Taylor has been with The World Company since 1988, working as a reporter, copy editor and news editor at the Journal-World before being named editor at the Current when it started publishing in November 2004.
“Our philosophy isn’t changing at all with these personnel moves,” Taylor said. “We want the people of Lansing, Basehor and Tonganoxie to know their source of local news will be these newspapers and their Web sites.”