Joanne Lipman stepping down as Chief Content Officer USA TODAY NETWORK and Editor of USA TODAY
Joanne Lipman, who helped Gannett through its rebranding as the USA TODAY NETWORK, is stepping down as Chief Content Officer and Editor in Chief of USA TODAY at the end of the year to focus on her upcoming book, That's What She Said.
The book, which addresses closing the gender gap in the workplace, comes as a flood of accusations against men in media, business, entertainment and politics have come to light.
“The heightened focus on sexual harassment has led to a flood of interest and opportunities surrounding my upcoming book about closing the gender gap,” Lipman said in an email to staff. That’s What She Said is being published by William Morrow in early 2018.
Lipman, a veteran of The Wall Street Journal and former editor in chief of the now defunct Conde Nast Portfolio magazine, came to Gannett in 2015 shortly after the media company rebranded its media sites as the USA TODAY NETWORK, housing its local and national brands under one umbrella. She was named editor in chief of USA TODAY in March of 2017.
During her time at Gannett, Lipman helped unite the newsrooms of its 110 media properties, which include the Cincinnati Enquirer, the Des Moines Register, the Arizona Republic and the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Under her guidance, USA TODAY NETWORK staffers now work together on breaking news and network-wide projects, including one on abusive teachers, which was a Pulitzer Prize investigative finalist.
“We are proud of the impressive journalistic achievements of the USA TODAY NETWORK under Joanne’s leadership. We will continue to build on that momentum as we wish her great success with the publication of her timely book,” said Maribel Perez Wadsworth, USA TODAY NETWORK president. “It does not surprise me in the least that she has hit upon the zeitgeist in That’s What She Said. If there is one thing that Joanne is good at, it is keying in on the essence of a story, on the buzz-worthy heart of the matter. And then reporting the hell out of it.”
Other journalistic highlights during Lipman’s tenure include investigations into the Veterans Administration's protection of dangerous doctors, the military's attempt to accept recruits with a history of mental illness and alcohol abuse, and local journalism such as the Indianapolis Star's investigation into sexual abuse of underage gymnasts and Milwaukee’s work on tainted alcohol served at Mexican resorts.
"I’ve never had a more fulfilling, exciting role than serving as your Chief Content Officer and Editor in Chief of USA TODAY and the USA TODAY NETWORK," Lipman said.
Prior to joining Gannett, Lipman served as deputy managing editor at The WSJ, supervising coverage of stories that earned three Pulitzer prizes. She also led the creation of The Journal's Weekend Journal and Personal Journal sections, as well as the Saturday edition. She co-wrote Strings Attached with Melanie Kupchynsky, a memoir about Kupchynsky's father and music teacher, Jerry Kupchynsky. Lipman began her career as a reporter at The Wall Street Journal.