Paul Greenberg
Paul Greenberg, the longtime editorial page editor of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, will step down from that position Aug. 1, the president and COO of WEHCO Media said Friday.
Nat Lea made the announcement to the newsroom Friday morning. He said in an interview that Greenberg has taken “courageous stands when they needed taking” in his career, including 23 years at the newspaper.
“He called for civil rights when it was unpopular and pretty unsafe to do so, and he makes a habit of going head to head with power in the arena of ideas and public policy,” Lea said. “When he does he really elevates the quality of public discourse. So we’re thankful for his efforts over the years.”
In a statement on Friday, Gov. Asa Hutchinson called Greenberg “an Arkansas institution” whose columns “have always been must-reads.”
“I’ve been the subject of Paul’s editorial pages many times,” Hutchinson said. “While I don’t always agree with what he writes, I have always appreciated his personal civility and courtesy.”
Greenberg, who won a Pulitzer Prize in 1969 for editorials he penned at the Pine Bluff Commercial, will continue to write editorials, but editorial writer David Barham will take on the editor position, Lea said. Barham will assume the role Aug. 1.
Lea said Barham has been at the paper for 13 years and has three times received the Distinguished Writing Award for Editorial Writing from the American Society of News Editors.
“We’re real pleased that David has chosen to take the responsibility, and we look forward to enjoying his work,” Lea said.
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