Editor of The Scotsman Neil McIntosh has resigned from the newspaper after nearly three and a half years at the helm.
Staff at the National World-owned title, which is currently going through a round of redundancies, were informed on Tuesday that McIntosh will be replaced as editor by his deputy Alan Young, who starts on 2 September.
News of McIntosh’s resignation came hours after members of The Scotsman’s NUJ chapel wrote to National World head of HR Claire Jackson following what they described as “the refusal of The Scotsman’s editor… to agree to our request to hold a meeting with all editorial staff to explain the decision to place a quarter of the newsroom at risk of redundancy”.
[Read more: Scotsman staff lament ‘death of a thousand cuts’ – See newsroom letter to HR in full]
The email to staff said McIntosh, a former news executive at The Guardian, BBC and Wall Street Journal, had resigned “to pursue a portfolio career”. It added: “We wish Neil well for the future and thank him for his contribution to the business.”
Of his replacement, staff were told Young “began his journalism career in the North-East of Scotland, and first joined The Scotsman’s sister title the Edinburgh Evening News in 2003. Since then he has held a variety of positions including news editor, head of content, assistant editor and more latterly deputy editor”.
The email quotes Young as saying: “I am deeply honoured to be taking over at the helm of The Scotsman, a title which I love and which has been such a huge part of my life.
“Trusted, quality journalism has never been more important and I’m looking forward to working with the immensely talented team in the newsroom as we continue to grow and develop our content across all platforms.”
Head of news Dale Miller has been promoted to deputy editor below Young.
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