Cascadia Daily News owner David Syre fired executive editor Ron Judd on May 26 following a dispute over the publication's newly launched quarterly magazine Cascadia Daily Life.
BELLINGHAM, Wash. — Ron Judd announced Wednesday that he is no longer executive editor of Cascadia Daily News after what both sides described as a disagreement over the company’s future direction.
In a public statement posted to LinkedIn, Judd said he departed “due to irreconcilable differences with ownership,” ending a four-year run leading the independent Bellingham newsroom he helped launch in 2022.
This news project has been my life for the past five years. Building CDN from a literal blank sheet of paper into one of the nation’s brightest-light independent news organizations has been the highlight of my four-decade career in journalism.
— Ron Judd, former executive editor, Cascadia Daily News
Judd praised the newsroom staff and called the paper’s reporting “tough, aggressive, fiercely independent,” while encouraging the community to continue supporting local journalism in Whatcom and Skagit counties.
Magazine Rollout Sparked Dispute
In its own report published Wednesday afternoon, CDN confirmed owner David Syre fired Judd on Tuesday, May 26. According to CDN publisher Cynthia Pope, the disagreement centered on the publication’s newly launched quarterly magazine, Cascadia Daily Life.
Pope told CDN that Judd “did not see the magazine as a significant editorial product,” while ownership viewed the magazine as part of the company’s long-term financial sustainability strategy.
The newspaper would not be where it is today without Ron’s work and that of the staff.
— Cynthia Pope, publisher, Cascadia Daily News
Pope added that the company plans to hire a new executive editor and sales director. CDN said no additional layoffs are planned.
Newsroom Reacts to Sudden Change
The move reportedly shocked much of the newsroom. Managing editors Audra Anderson and Jaya Flanary told the paper they learned of Judd’s firing Tuesday afternoon.
“It was shocking and sudden,” Anderson said, according to the report. Flanary described Judd as “the North Star of the newsroom,” crediting him with mentoring many early-career reporters and photographers. CDN’s article noted the publication currently employs eight reporters, three photographers and five editors.
Rare Growth Story in Local Journalism
Judd previously spent decades at The Seattle Times before helping launch CDN during a period of widespread contraction in local news. CDN rapidly established itself as a major player in Northwest Washington media, winning state and regional journalism awards while expanding coverage across Whatcom and Skagit counties.
The shake-up comes as independent and legacy local news outlets nationwide continue searching for sustainable business models amid declining print revenue and changing audience habits. Syre, CDN’s owner, is best known locally as the founder of Trillium Corporation.
As of Wednesday afternoon, CDN leadership said the newsroom would continue operating under existing managing editors while the company searches for a replacement executive editor.
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