Published: 11/27/2018 4:17:22 PM
Modified: 11/28/2018 10:23:07 AM
West Lebanon — Maggie Cassidy, the Valley News’ first and current web editor, has been named the next editor of the newspaper.
Publisher Dan McClory made the announcement to the newsroom on Tuesday afternoon.
“Maggie has been a valuable member of the Valley News staff for the last seven years. She has earned the respect of her colleagues in the newsroom and throughout the building,” McClory said. “In her current position as web editor, Maggie has demonstrated she has what it takes to lead our newsroom.
“Maggie will continue the long tradition of quality journalism while navigating the evolving environment we operate in. I am excited to work with Maggie in her new role and for what the future holds.”
Cassidy, 30, replaces Martin Frank, who has overseen the newsroom for the last five years. He plans to retire in January, although Cassidy will be assuming the editorship next month. She will be responsible for all news operations and will remain a member of the Valley News editorial board.
“I’m deeply humbled to step into this role and to continue working with the colleagues who have taught me so much over the past seven years, serving communities that deserve the good journalism we produce,” Cassidy said. “The challenges facing newspapers are great, but trustworthy local news is as important as ever. I’m excited to get to work.”
Cassidy has been practicing journalism since her teens in Framingham, Mass., when she took sports scores and highlights for the local sports roundup for The MetroWest Daily News, where her father, White River Junction resident Gene Cassidy, had been an editor.
“I’m privileged to count my dad as my first editor and to continue to benefit from his insights,” Cassidy said. “He introduced me to the wonders of newsrooms, and I’ve yet to find any place I’d rather work.”
Through the Northeastern University School of Journalism, Cassidy worked two full-time internships at The Boston Globe before moving on to The Molokai Dispatch in Hawaii. It was on that small island that Cassidy learned much about reporting in small, tight-knit rural communities, knowledge she believes has served her well in the Upper Valley.
She joined the Valley News in January 2012 as a news assistant/reporter for the Sunday paper before moving to the daily reporting staff and, not long after, becoming a part-time web editor when the Valley News fully embraced digital journalism. Since becoming full-time web editor in 2015, Cassidy has undertaken a number of initiatives, including establishing the Valley News’ social media presence, using the web for breaking news, expanding the use of video and co-launching UV Index, a website geared toward digital readers.
Cassidy lives in White River Junction with her husband, Chico Eastridge, and their three house rabbits. She has a fondness for swimming, sewing, thrift shopping and oddly flavored potato chips.