Ted Vaden, the public editor at The News & Observer, will leave the Raleigh newspaper for a communications job with the state Department of Transportation. The paper’s publisher isn’t saying whether he will name a successor.
Vaden has been public editor (also known as an ombudsman) at the N&O since 2004. In that role, he addressed the complaints, questions and, on occasion, compliments from readers. In 2008, the position became a part-time job as part of the paper’s efforts to save money.
Vaden wrote a Sunday column and maintained a blog, though he hasn’t posted as much there lately. On occasion, he addressed editing issues (such as headlines and the copy desk) in his columns, which are collected here.
Best of luck to Ted in his new job.
The Editor's Desk 