MU alum Ken Paulson to leave USA Today

McLEAN, Va. — USA Today's editor, Ken Paulson, is leaving the newspaper in February to become president of the Newseum and the Freedom Forum.

A replacement for Paulson, an MU alumnus, has not yet been named.

Paulson, 55, was named editor in 2004 in the wake of a fraud scandal involving a former star reporter, Jack Kelley. Paulson's predecessor, Karen Jurgensen, had resigned just before executives released a report by a panel of journalism experts that faulted management for not catching Kelley's misdeeds.

"Ken's news judgment and management expertise helped steer the newspaper through those rough waters," USA Today Publisher Craig Moon said in a memo to employees Wednesday. "He brought a new energy to USA Today, focusing on the strength of our reporting, as he created a strong model on sourcing and architected the plan to merge the print and online newsrooms. There is no doubt that there can be a perfect leader at the perfect time."

Paulson leaves USA Today on Feb. 1. At the Newseum and the Freedom Forum, Paulson will succeed Peter Prichard, who also had been editor of USA Today.

The Freedom Forum is a nonprofit group that promotes free speech and is the main funder of the Newseum, a Washington, D.C., museum devoted to journalism and the news. The forum was established by USA Today founder Al Neuharth but has no direct ties to the paper or its parent, Gannett Co.