Liz Heron, Executive Editor of The Huffington Post, is leaving that organization about a year after being appointed the newsroom’s second-in-command.
Heron was hired in September 2015 after serving as Facebook’s head of news partnerships, will exit HuffPost for “her next adventure,” CEO Jared Grusd told employees in a memo Tuesday.
“I’m writing to let you know that after serving as our Executive Editor, Liz Heron will be leaving The Huffington Post for her next adventure,” Grusd wrote.
Heron was viewed as a possible successor to Huffington Post founder Arianna Huffington after she announced her departure in August. In the wake of Huffington’s exit, Heron was appointed to a search committee tasked with finding the company’s new editor in chief, along with D.C. bureau chief Ryan Grim and news director Katie Nelson.
In his memo, Grusd praised Heron for helping HuffPost “plug into the new media world order” of distributed content, video and mobile journalism.
Liz has indeed led us to embrace these changes; she has been a true innovative presence here, leading us to new territories and expanding so many aspects of our coverage. She embodies the pioneering spirit that defines HuffPost, and I can’t wait to see how she carries that spirit, together with all she’s accomplished here, into her career’s next chapter.
In a post on Facebook Tuesday, Heron said she’ll be consulting for the Knight Foundation.
Here’s Grusd’s full memo:
HuffPosters,
It’s important to me to keep you updated on changes to our newsroom as they happen. I’m writing to let you know that after serving as our Executive Editor, Liz Heron will be leaving The Huffington Post for her next adventure. Arianna hired Liz to help us plug into the new media world order – one in which distributed content, video, mobile, audience development and the role of data have changed the way media companies think about their journalism. Liz has indeed led us to embrace these changes; she has been a true innovative presence here, leading us to new territories and expanding so many aspects of our coverage. She embodies the pioneering spirit that defines HuffPost, and I can’t wait to see how she carries that spirit, together with all she’s accomplished here, into her career’s next chapter. Pls join me in thanking Liz and wishing her well for the future.
Correction: A previous version of this story said Heron was managing editor. She was executive editor.
