Gary Pruitt, currently the President and CEO of The McClatchy Company, has been named the new President and CEO of the Associated Press. Pruitt has been with McClatchy since 1995, and has served on the AP’s board for nine years. He will will succeed Tom Curley in July.

Dean Singleton, the outgoing chairman of the AP board, said Pruitt will help guide the AP’s digital focus.

“Gary has deep experience in the changing world of the news industry, an acute business sense and an overriding understanding of and commitment to AP’s news mission,” Singlton said in a press release announcing the change. “His background as a First Amendment lawyer is a hand-in-glove fit with AP’s long leadership role in fighting for open government and freedom of information. And, he knows AP well.”

On the right is the Associated Press’ brand new logo. The design — the first update in 30 years — is part of an overhaul of the AP’s brand. A new website is launching next month, too.

“This new look, from logo to color system, translates to AP’s growing portfolio of digital products and platforms, and distinctively relays our role as the definitive source for news,” said Tom Curley, the AP’s President and CEO, in a press release.

If we had known the AP was going to unleash something so radical on us, we would’ve taken a Valium before opening the email. All kidding aside, it is a bit nicer, right? After all, this is the AP we’re talking about, it’s not like they could’ve went too crazy with it. Adding a mascot or something probably would’ve put a dent in its credibility.

The Associated Press has named Anne Gearan as its new National Security writer, assigned to the White House. In a memo obtained by Jim Romenesko, the AP’s Washington Bureau Chief, Sally Buzbee says that Gearan will report to Terry Hunt, Deputy Washington Bureau Chief.

“As Chief White House Correspondent Ben Feller and his team focus on the campaign and economy this year, it’s critical we keep a strong focus on issues like Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan,” wrote Buzbee.

The New York Association of Black Journalists issued a statement about last week’s dismissal of Robert Naylor from the Associated Press where he was the director of career development/news.

In the statement, NYABJ calls Naylor a “long-time diversity advocate” and makes the connection between the lay-off and the reintroduction of AP’s internship program, announced a day later. “Naylor was instrumental in shaping the careers of countless minority journalists through the AP’s internship program, which was reinstated last week after a yearlong hiatus due to budget cuts,” the release states.

Read more

Tom Curley, The Associated Press’ President and CEO since 2003, is stepping down at the end of this year. The AP’s board of directors, lead by Mary Junck, is currently searching for his successor. Curley plans to stay on until his spot is filled, to ensure a smooth transition.

Under Curley’s direction the AP expanded digitally, won two Pulitzer’s for photography and opened bureau’s in Pakistan and North Korea.

“He [Curley] was a visionary who understood the need for AP to quickly adapt to new digital times, a transformative leader who created innovative new business opportunities for our industry and an indefatigable newsman who made sure AP remained the definitive trusted source for breaking news,” said William Dean Singleton, chairman of the AP Board of Directors.

“There is this passion, this commitment to journalism in its purest form that makes it unique on the planet,” said Curley. “Nowhere else does anyone have such a direct opportunity to commit journalism and have as much impact as they do here. I got to be a part of it, and play a role in its mission to break news first from around the world. I’ve been honored to work for AP.”

The Associated Press has named Eric Carvin its Social Media Editor. Carvin was most recently a News Producer for the AP’s Nerve Center, its main editorial desk.

At his new position, Carvin will be tasked with ensuring that social media is integrated even more than it already is into the AP’s news coverage.

“No one can underestimate the power of social media in our global reportage, nor its potential pitfalls,” Tamer Fakahany, Deputy Managing Editor at Nerve Center, said. “That is why we wanted a social media editor who was a serious and respected journalist in his own right in addition to providing leadership on the social nets.”

This week, The New York Times is sporting a new price tag on New York City newsstands: $2.50.  This is just one of the planned price increases for the paper, which also includes higher home delivery rates.

According to the AP, the new cost is a 50 cent increase for the weekday and Saturday editions. And now, the price matches that for copies of the paper sold throughout the country.  There was no increase for the Sunday or digital editions. Thank goodness.

The paper hasn’t had a price increase in more than two years. But still, even in this tough media environment, the increase seems hefty, no?

The Associated Press is bolstering its entertainment news business in a big way. Starting today, the videos found under the AP’s Entertainment Daily News service will all be shown in HD, marking the beginning of a shift to all HD content by early next year.

“Delivering AP Entertainment in HD is a major milestone in AP’s video business upgrade,” said Alicia Quarles, the AP’s Entertainment Editor. “As the leading supplier of global entertainment news, we recognize the appetite in the entertainment industry for HD content — in today’s information-driven world, it is all about choice and getting the content you want, when, where and how you want it.”

The Entertainment Daily News covers celebrities, award shows, concerts and more.

The Washington Post has a great profile of David Minthorn, the Associated Press’ Deputy Standards Editor this morning. Minthorn is the man responsible for policing the grammar used by the AP, and because of that, he’s answered just about every question concerning the English language there is.

The most common question he’s answered is about when to use quotes and when to italicize (the AP never italicizes, but that’s due to formatting issues more than anything else), but here’s a few other interesting items from the Minthorn piece:

• It’s “bed-and-breakfast”
• There was a lot of arguing when the AP switched from “e-mail” to “email”
• The plural of “meatloaf” is “meatloaves.” No word on if Meat Loaf refers to his children this way or not.

Apparently hell hath no fury like a departing Associated Press business reporter. In a resignation letter obtained by Poynter, Janna Herron, an AP reporter for the past five years, blasts leadership:

I’m the 56th person to leave since the newsroom’s management style turned negative and mean-spirited three years ago. And I’m sure I’m not the last. I just couldn’t do it anymore.

So, best wishes to everyone. You’re all better editors, reporters and writers than what you’ve been told, and you deserve better leadership.

Well, consider that bridge burned.

And in case you were wondering, Hal Ritter is the AP’s Business Editor.