As I look forward to the beginning of a new decade, I can’t help but ruminate on the changes that have taken place over the last decade in the media industry. No doubt it has been a difficult and challenging time. One out of five U.S. newspapers have closed in the last 14 years. From 2008 to 2018 newsroom employment at U.S. newspapers dropped by 47 percent. Recently the largest 2 newspaper companies in the U.S. have become one, and we are hearing of unprecedented layoffs at the newly formed company.

Sobering statistics, but they make this announcement even more exciting for us. Because we are not laying off, in fact we are promoting from within to grow and strengthen our coverage of local news and events. We recently announced a reorganization of our newsroom management staff that involves two promotions.

Chris Landry has assumed the duties of Managing Editor since April of this year, and he will continue many of these duties. Chris has primary responsibilities of overseeing the design of our pages and making sure our trains run on time. He will continue these duties, along with sports coverage. Our two promotions are designed to take much of the planning duties off of his plate.

First, we have promoted Dwayne Fatherree from News Reporter to Community Editor. If you are a regular reader, you are no doubt familiar with Dwayne’s articles. He has been our investigative reporter and is responsible for the vast majority of our in-depth news coverage. Dwayne will continue to keep you informed, and has assumed planning and editing responsibilities for news coverage.

Second, we have promoted Shanna Dickens to Director of Content. Shanna has been the Editor of Acadiana Lifestyle and a newly launched product in Lafayette. She will continue to serve in these functions and will also assume responsibility of overseeing features content for The Daily Iberian. Shanna will also track your engagement with all of our content on our websites and on social media. The more we know about what you are interested in the better job we can do for you.

We’ve learned that it is not enough for us to write stories that tell you who, what, where, and when. You also want to know how and why. It is our job to provide you with the facts, but also to provide you with insight. Chris, Dwayne and Shanna are working together to examine everything we produce and work to dig deeper to bring you greater understanding of the stories behind the stories.

We are determined to do our very best job for this community. We believe we have the talent in our newsroom to drive extraordinary articles, and we are poised to provide you with engaging and relevant content — content that enhances your connection to and understanding of this vibrant region.

CHRISTINA PIERCE is publisher of The Daily Iberian.