David and Steve

Chico Enterprise-Record Editor David Little is a class act. Seriously.

I know what you’re thinking—how I dinged him for his flippant take on climate change and that time he wrote about Doug LaMalfa being a swell guy. OK, maybe dinged isn’t quite accurate. Looking back, I was harsh on occasion.

But that was years ago—and David is not holding a grudge these days. In fact, he was exceedingly gracious when I wrote to him last week after reading a report in the E-R announcing his forthcoming departure and the promotion of his successor, Mike Wolcott, an Orland resident who’s held an under-the-radar newspaper position locally for several years.

Though I didn’t know how my note would be received, I felt compelled to tell David a couple of things. For starters, I wanted to wish him well and let him know that I’ve always looked back fondly at the time I spent working for him. The E-R was a great place for a young reporter to launch her career—it’s where I cut my teeth, perhaps a little too sharply after four years in that newsroom. David gave me that opportunity—he hired me full time after what was supposed to be a summer internship. The experience cemented my love of and dedication to newspapers. I’m grateful.

Make no mistake, David leaving the E-R is a big deal. Personally, I’m concerned. He has been an important voice in the community dialogue.

As you’ll read in Ashiah Scharaga’s report this week (see “Stepping down,” Newslines), he was cautious when discussing his exit. But one doesn’t have to work hard to read between the lines. He’s only 55 years old and cares deeply about journalism and his employees. Note that he resigned; he’s not retiring. Were the E-R not owned by a vampiric hedge fund, I highly doubt he’d be leaving. I’m sorry to see him go.

Forty years in the news business is a hell of an accomplishment, and spending 20 of them at the top spot at the E-R is most impressive. Being in charge of a newsroom is difficult and stressful. The rewards come from knowing that you’ve informed readers—engaging and bettering the community, at least that’s the goal—and working with great people.

Last weekend, in his column, David wrote about his longtime right-hand man, Steve Schoonover, who’s retiring after 38 years at the E-R, nearly half of them in the role of city editor. I worked directly under Steve during my stint at the daily, and he was instrumental in helping me develop my skills. I have a soft spot for him, too, and was glad to see David had written a fitting tribute.

The same can’t be said for David—the unbylined E-R piece focuses on his successor and reads like a press release. Knowing David, a humble guy, that’s probably because he didn’t want to make a fuss about himself. Our story isn’t a fluff piece—it illustrates the troubling state of print journalism, but I think it also celebrates the long career of a darn good newspaperman.

As for Wolcott, I’ll wait and see where he takes the E-R. If he reads this newspaper, he knows I’ll be keeping a close watch on things. My keyboard is at the ready, believe me.