David Kushma, editorial page editor of The Commercial Appeal, is leaving the newspaper, according to sources in the newsroom.
Kushma declined to comment when contacted by the Flyer.
He came to Memphis from the Detroit Free Press in 1997 and worked for most of his time here under former editor Angus McEachran, who retired one year ago. New editor Chris Peck has implemented a community journalism approach that some old-line reporters see as being light on hard news.
Peck could not be reached for comment Thursday.
Sources told the Flyer several other veteran newsroom employees are leaving either to accept the newspaper’s buyout proposal or for personal reasons. A source said that includes some of the paper’s better known names.
The Commercial Appeal has not written about staff departures under Peck’s leadership. Peck did not mention any impending staff changes in a Flyer cover story on The Commercial Appeal two weeks ago.
Kushma often wrote a bylined article in the Sunday newspaper in addition to overseeing the overall editorial and viewpoint pages.
