Philadelphia journalist to lead State Journal
11:37 PM 3/31/04
William R. Wineke Wisconsin State Journal

The Wisconsin State Journal has a new editor. <

Ellen Foley, 51, is currently managing editor of the Philadelphia Daily News, a job she has held since 1998. She will begin her work in Madison on April 22. <

She grew up in Milwaukee and holds a bachelor of arts degree in political science and a master of arts degree in journalism from UW-Madison. The UW-Madison School of Journalism and Mass Communications will award her its Distinguished Service to Journalism Award later this month. <

Foley said she is excited by the prospect of leading the State Journal. <

"I think this is a very good newspaper. There's a lot of good journalism being done here. I think with a little tweaking, a little more attention paid to what readers want rather than to what we think they should want, we will become a great newspaper." <

Before becoming managing editor of the Philadelphia Daily News, Foley was assistant managing editor for features of the Kansas City Star, assistant features editor and food editor of the Minneapolis Star Tribune, a copy editor for the Detroit News, a copy editor for the Milwaukee Sentinel, and managing editor of the Menominee Herald-Leader. <

She will move here with her husband, Thomas Mullaney, a mental health therapist, and her daughters, Kaitlin, 18, and Maura, 16. <

Foley succeeds Frank Denton, who left Madison to become editor of The Tampa (Fla.) Tribune. <

"I interviewed many strong internal and outside candidates for the editor position," said Jim Hopson, State Journal publisher and vice president of Lee Enterprises, half owner of Capital Newspapers, which publishes the State Journal. "Lots of talented journalists wanted this job. I think Ellen Foley brings exactly the right mix of experience, talent and energy to lead this newspaper forward." <

Zack Stalberg, editor of the Philadelphia Daily News, predicted Madison will enjoy her tenure as editor. <

"She's very energetic. She's a person of high principle and she's a great deal of fun," he said. "She's really dedicated to improving the community. I don't think you could get a better leader." <

Stalberg said it was evident during her years in Philadelphia that Foley loved Wisconsin and she was delighted when she learned she was under consideration for the job. "Ellen Foley and the State Journal are a perfect fit. You couldn't make that up." <

Theresa Johnson, features editor of the Daily News, agreed. <

"She's a pistol," Johnson said. "She's a very high-energy person, very enthusiastic. The Daily News is a street paper; it reflects the community and I'd be sure that, in Madison, Ellen will find a way to make the newspaper reflect the community." <

Foley said Wednesday she hopes to be active in community affairs as well as in journalism. <

She has been a member of the Junior League for 20 years and, in 1996, was chosen as one of 100 volunteers of distinction featured in the League's centennial. <

The honor was given for her work in founding the Violence Against Women Coalition, a group that built public awareness of the issue in Minnesota. <

In Madison, she said, she wants to "be very present in the community. I hope to be the eyes and ears of the Wisconsin State Journal wherever I go and whatever I do." <

A newspaper, she continued, "is a watchdog, a storyteller, your friend." <

She added "in the past, editors have been somewhat arrogant in thinking the role of the newspaper was involved simply in informing people. The role of the newspaper in the 21st century is not just to inform, but to delight and to engage readers." <

"I am aiming for smart, warm and funny - three adjectives my friends use to describe me on my good days," she said. <

The State Journal is part of Capital Newspapers, which also publishes the Capital Times, the Baraboo News Republic, the Portage Daily Register and the Beaver Dam Daily Citizen, as well as more than a dozen weekly newspapers, shoppers and the Web site www.madison.com. <

Contact William Wineke at wwineke@madison.com or 252-6146.