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SALT LAKE CITY — Paul Edwards, editor and publisher of the Deseret News, has stepped down from his position Thursday to join the governor’s staff as Gary Herbert gears up for a new term in office.
In turn, the 180-year-old paper announced Doug Wilks, who has been the News Division managing editor for the Deseret News and KSL Broadcasting for the past five years, will replace Edwards as editor.
Edwards' new position
In a press conference Thursday, Herbert announced that Edwards will become deputy chief of staff with special responsibility for policy and strategic communications.
“He’ll have a significant role in our senior staff administration helping us develop policy, but most importantly, making sure that what we do is communicated accurately with the public and with the press, making sure our communications are effective and our message is out there for all to see and understand,” Herbert said.
Edwards said one thing to take from this week's election is that people are frustrated with one-size-fits-all solutions to problems.
“As they look at where the laboratories of democracy are working best, they have this wonderful example of the state of Utah under the guidance of Gov. Herbert,” he said.
Edwards added that once he began talking with the governor about the position, the Deseret News “took this conflict of interest very seriously” and recused him from all coverage related to the office over the past month.
Herbert also announced Thursday that Tani Downing will be executive director of the Department of Administrative Services, and Jaceson Maughan will be the commissioner of the Utah Labor Commission. Jill Remington Love was named as the new Arts and Heritage Department director.
Edwards has served as editor of the Desert News since his appointment in December 2011, and soon added the publisher’s responsibility. During his tenure he extended the reach of the Deseret News far beyond Utah, growing readership and building comprehensive coverage not just in traditional news beats, but also expertly on matters related to faith and family.
Prior to joining the Deseret News, he was executive vice president and provost at Southern Virginia University. He has also served as president of the Mercatus Center at George Mason University and vice president for Academic Affairs at the Institute for Humane Studies, also at George Mason.
Wilks 'humbled' by promotion
Doug Wilks comes into his new position with more than 30 years of experience in the news industry. As managing editor of the News Division, Wilks led a multiplatform newsroom for the Deseret News and KSL TV and Radio, as well as having influence on all of Deseret Management Corp.’s digital news platforms, including deseretnews.com and ksl.com.
"We feel confident about the future of the Deseret News, and we look forward to Doug's editorial leadership moving forward," said Keith B. McMullin, chairman of the Deseret News Publishing Company board of directors, when making the announcement to the staff Thursday afternoon.
McMullin called the new editor an "experienced and thoughtful news veteran and a much respected leader who knows how to lead by persuasion and example."
"I’m humbled by the trust shown to me by the leadership and staff of the Deseret News as I move into this assignment," Wilks said, noting the tremendous leadership of Edwards and Clark Gilbert, who reshaped the Deseret News into not just a regional newspaper, but a voice of national importance and digital innovation. "Our outstanding journalists will continue to provide impactful, award-winning work as we press into the new year. They've proven they are up to the challenge."
Prior to joining the Deseret News and KSL, Wilks worked in various editing and leadership capacities in the team-structured newsroom of The Press Democrat in Santa Rosa, California, then part of the New York Times Regional Media Group. He also worked as city editor for the Marin Independent Journal, formerly with Gannett, and managing editor and city editor of the Napa Valley Register, then a Scripps League Newspapers publication.
McMullin commended Edwards for the thoughtful analysis he has brought to the Deseret News as its editor for almost five years.
"We will miss the insights Paul Edwards brought to bear on some of the compelling issues of our time," McMullin said. "He will leave a lasting imprint on the Deseret News."
