Journal Publisher Rothfeld to retire in June
After a 42-year career in news publishing, Poughkeepsie Journal Publisher Barry Rothfeld will retire in June.
The announcement was made Thursday afternoon to the Journal's staff by Michael G. Kane, president of the East Group of Gannett Co., Inc.'s U.S. Community Publishing division. Gannett is the Journal's parent company.
"We wish Barry the very best," said Kane, also publisher of the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle. "He has been a great publisher, deeply committed to the ethics and values of journalism, but also to community involvement and engagement. My job now is to hire somebody like him."
Rothfeld, 65, has served as the Journal's publisher since 2004. He was publisher of the Ithaca Journal from 1997-2004; executive editor of the Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin from 1994-1997; and executive editor of the Poughkeepsie Journal from 1990-1994.
Earlier, over 17 years, he held numerous news and management roles at what is now the Journal News of White Plains. He was recruited by Gannett after graduating from Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism.
A native of the Bronx, Rothfeld has established deep community ties in Dutchess County. He serves on the boards of United Way of the Dutchess-Orange Region, Vassar Brothers Medical Center and the Miles of Hope Breast Cancer Foundation. He plans to remain a resident of Dutchess, and active in volunteer endeavors.
He was chairman of the 2010 United Way campaign that exceeded its $1.7 million fundraising goal.
"I've always believed that the Journal, and I, needed to be good corporate citizens," Rothfeld told the staff, gathered in the newsroom. "I've always tried to be generous when it comes to good works in the community, and I believe that it's our job to help make this a better place to live. It is, after all, our home."
Rothfeld began his career in 1973 as a news reporter at a forerunner to the Journal News, the Daily Item of Port Chester, in Westchester County.
He ends his career as the leader of the Poughkeepsie Journal Media Group, a multifaceted digital- and print-publishing operation that focuses on providing solutions for advertisers, providing readers with local news and investigative journalism, and being an important steward of community service.
"While Gannett may be a big chain of papers, Barry always thought local first and was very involved in the community," said Charles North, the former president and chief executive officer of the Dutchess County Regional Chamber of Commerce. "In addition, he is a true professional in his field. I always had the utmost respect for Barry's work, and how he was fair and equitable to everyone."
Marist College President Dennis Murray echoed those sentiments and said he is glad Rothfeld will remain a local resident.
"He had high journalistic standards, and he was also someone who was active in the community and accepted that role," Murray said.
During Rothfeld's tenure as publisher, the Journal's staff won the New York State Associated Press Association's prestigious Newspaper of Distinction award three times in a four-year span — 2011, 2012 and 2014.
"As the guiding force behind the Hudson Valley's leading news source, Barry has navigated the Journal through the ever-changing media landscape," Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro said in a statement, "redefining the Journal as more than just a newspaper, but a media company that spans multiple platforms — from print to digital to social media."
He served as past chair of the New York Newspaper Publishers Association board of directors and now serves on the organization's foundation.
"I've been fortunate to lead the Journal through its most tumultuous times," he said, "as we went from being a newspaper with a website, to a complete media group with the community's most vibrant digital operation."
Rothfeld has been honored by numerous local organizations.
In 2011, he received the Community Service award from the Jewish Community Center. The Catharine Street Community Center included him in its inaugural "Ten Outstanding Men," also in 2011.
He has also been honored by the Mill Street Loft and received the Martin Luther King Jr. Humanitarian Award from the St. Mark A.M.E. Zion Church in 2006.
John Ferro: 845-437-4816; jferro@poughkeepsiejournal.com; Twitter: @PoJoEnviro