Associated Press' Top Editor to Step Down

Associated Press Executive Editor Kathleen Carroll will step down at the end of the year.

As AP’s highest ranking editorial staffer, Carroll has led the the organization for 14 years but is retiring in order to tend to dedicate more time to “family events,” according to Poynter.

AP President and CEO Gary Pruitt broke the news to staffers, according to the AP. The search for the next executive editor will start immediately, with in-house staffers getting the first crack at the job, according to Poynter.

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Carroll’s team recently won a Public Service Pulitzer Prize for its investigation into exploitative labor practices in the seafood industry. Under her leadership, the AP won five Pulitzers, six George Polk Awards and 15 Overseas Press Club Awards.

Carroll’s Twitter bio describes her as an “Avid cook. Lover of interesting stories and images. Veteran traveler. Lapsed Texan.”

Carroll helped build bureaus in North Korea, Myanmar and Saudi Arabia and led the AP’s transformation from analog to digital, according to the news organization. She is the former Washington bureau chief of Knight Ridder and a former writer and editor in four AP bureaus. Carroll has been the executive editor since 2002.

Carroll will help with the leadership transition, the AP says.

The Evolution of Roger Ailes, From 'The Mike Douglas Show' to Fox News Innovator (Photos)

The television executive has evolved from producing a talk-variety show to running one of the biggest satellite news television channel in the U.S.
Fox News
Born and raised in Ohio, Roger Ailes attended Ohio University as a young man, majoring in radio and television. During his time there, he served as station manager for the university's WOUB radio for two years.
Ohio University
Ailes worked his way up to executive producer on the syndicated daytime talk show "The Mike Douglas Show," which began as a local program in Cleveland before expanding nationwide.
Westinghouse Broadcasting Company
In 1968, Ailes got an Emmy nod when "The Mike Douglas Show" was nominated for Outstanding Achievement in Daytime Programming, ultimately losing to NBC's "Today" show.
After first meeting Richard Nixon on the set of "The Mike Douglas Show," Ailes was hired by the then-presidential candidate to be his media advisor during the campaign, which marked his first professional foray into politics.
Ailes continued consulting on presidential campaigns, serving as media consultant for three successful Republicans: Nixon, Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush.
Ailes produced the famous "revolving door" ad for Bush, which painted Democratic nominee Michael Dukakis as soft on crime. The piece was widely regarded as the most influential ad of the political cycle.
In 1988, Ailes co-authored a self-help book with Jon Kraushar. "You Are the Message" shared Ailes' tips for effective communication and public performances.
Simon and Schuster
In 1992, Ailes served as executive producer on a syndicated late-night talk show hosted by right-wing radio host Rush Limbaugh, which ran for four years before coming to an end in 1996.
Ailes Productions
Ailes was named president of CNBC in 1993, where he launched the new cable network America's Talking, which was shut down and replaced with future Fox News competitor MSNBC.
America's Talking
Media mogul Rupert Murdoch hired Ailes to serve as founding CEO and Chariman of the Fox News Channel in 1996, which soon grew to become the most popular cable news network in the country.
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In 2016, Ailes was accused of sexual harassment by ousted Fox News host Gretchen Carlson. In July, Carlson filed a lawsuit against Ailes, claiming years of inappropriate behavior and sexual advances.
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On July 20, 2016, Ailes was forced to resign from Fox News amid the growing outcry over the sexual harassment allegations.
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Ailes died on May 18, 2017 at age 77.