Ivey to leave Louisville paper

Former PNJ publisher Denise Ivey is leaving the The Courier-Journal in Louisville, KY. The alt-paper, LEO, has this take on what it calls the “Friday Afternoon Massacre.”

…from Ivey’s memo: “I am so proud of The Courier-Journal and all of you … and what we’ve accomplished as a team … toward common goals and an overarching strategy that positions our organization to remain strong long into the future.”

None of the “worker bees” are buying into that one. Ivey tried her best to keep a sinking ship afloat, but the painful truth is that there’s no longer a business model for quality journalism.

“She was very professional and smart, obviously an outstanding businesswoman,” said Jason Falls, a local advocate of social media who works at the PR firm Doe Anderson. “But I thought also she was an old-school newspaper executive who didn’t have a finger on the pulse of the marketplace. She wasn’t excited about turning journalistic responsibilities over to the community.”

Read On Media: Gannett’s ‘Friday Afternoon Massacre’

BTW: PNJ lost another top reporter. Sarah Rabb has left to become a school teacher.