Mark Luckie, the former Washington Post social media editor who is now manager of journalism and news at Twitter, is leaving the social media company, he announced Monday.
After 3 years at Twitter I've decided to leave the nest to focus on the production of my 2nd book. This will be my last week at the company.
— 〽️ark S. Luckie (@marksluckie) May 11, 2015
Luckie, an alumnus of the Center for Investigative Reporting and the Los Angeles Times, currently works at Twitter helping newsrooms use the social media service.
In an interview with Poynter last week, Luckie said his departure stemmed from a desire to take a break from his demanding schedule to regroup and determine what’s next. He will also focus on the publication and promotion of his forthcoming book, a novel he says was penned over three years during his off hours.
“I have an idea of what I’d like to do, but I think I’m going to take the time to figure out what that is,” Luckie said. “I’ve been working with journalists and technology for 10 years, since I came out of grad school. So I want to see what else there is and explore new avenues.”
Luckie doesn’t know yet where he’s going to land, but he envisions his next job might be in a newsroom or in some kind of advocacy role related to the recent uprisings spurred by social media.
Luckie, who joined Twitter in 2012 from The Washington Post, serves as a liaison between the social media company and the journalism community. He is also the founder of 10,000 Words, a blog devoted to technology and journalism. In 2010, the blog was acquired by WebMediaBrands, the parent company of Mediabistro.com.
Twitter intends to fill Luckie’s vacancy, but he said the job could look slightly different depending on his successor’s vision. Because journalists make up a vital constituency for Twitter, the company is committed to having a team in place to work with newsrooms, he said.
“For the long-term, Twitter will always have this news partnerships team because newsrooms make up such a great part of Twitter, and we want to make sure that they have all the tools and resources that they need from the company.”
Luckie’s last day is Thursday.
