Neal Butterworth, one of the UK's longest serving regional daily editors, has left the Bournemouth Daily Echo.
Newsquest has yet to provide a comment or statement about his departure – but his exit was confirmed by staff on Friday.
Butterworth has been editor of the Bournemouth-based paper for 13 years and is also editor-in-chief of sister title the Dorset Echo.
It has been reported that Dorset Echo editor Toby Granville will now become group editor of the two papers.
Writing in the February edition of Press Gazette magazine Butterworth said: "I'm most proud of creating a newspaper and a working environment that encourages individuality, creativity, pride and humour. Journalists are born primadonnas and whingers, but give then the opportunity to shine and they will always excite you. That and the £7m our readers have raised for charities."
In the last six months of 2010 the Bournemouth Daily Echo had an average daily sale of 27,884 – which was down 3.9 per cent year on year. This compared with an average annual rate of sales decline for regional dailies of 6.5 per cent across the industry.
It was also revealed last week that Exeter Express and Echo editor Marc Astley is to step down at the end of the year. His exit comes three months after switching the paper from a daily to weekly title.
He said in a statement that "I feel this is the right time for me to seek a fresh challenge."
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