McClatchy Company hires Scot Heisel to lead Bellingham Herald newsroom as senior editor
Veteran Pacific Northwest journalist Scot Heisel has joined The Bellingham Herald staff as its new senior editor. He replaces longtime Editor Julie Shirley, who retired in April after 20 years in an executive role with the newspaper.
Heisel, 52, grew up in Missoula, Montana. He has worked at newspapers in Montana, Washington, Oregon and Idaho over the course of his 23-year career.
“I feel so fortunate to be back in Western Washington,” Heisel said. “Whatcom County is an ideal place to live, and everyone I’ve met so far in Bellingham has been so friendly and welcoming. It’s a massive challenge to take over for Julie, who means so much to this community, but the fantastic staff of reporters she left behind remains intact and I look forward to building on her success.”
Heisel attended college at his hometown school, the University of Montana, where he earned a B.A. in English literature in 1994. He later returned to UM for two years of post-graduate study in journalism.
“Part of what has drawn me to Bellingham is just how similar it is to Missoula,” he said. “Both are college towns that once relied heavily on the timber industry. Both strongly support local small businesses and a thriving farmers market. And like Missoula, Bellingham offers an exceptional range of outdoors and cultural activities.”
Heisel most recently served as publisher and editor of the Cut Bank Pioneer Press, a weekly newspaper in Cut Bank, Montana. Before that he was editor of the Lake County Leader, a weekly paper based in Polson, Montana on the Flathead Indian Reservation. The Leader claimed 15 awards in the Montana Newspaper Association’s Better Newspaper Contest during his first year in Polson.
His newspaper career began with a sports desk position for King County Newspapers in Bellevue. He returned to Montana in 2001 to work for his hometown newspaper, the Missoulian. Three years later he accepted a position as a copy editor and page designer at The Daily News in Longview, Washington.
He worked at The Daily News for 11 years and was named the paper’s first digital editor in 2007. As digital editor he developed policies and best-practice guidance for all of the newspaper’s digital platforms, including social media.
He later took on the role of features editor and held the title of assistant managing editor when he left Longview in 2015.
His career also has included stints as editor of the Wallowa County Chieftain in northeastern Oregon and as assistant city editor at the Lewiston Tribune in Idaho.
He moved to Bellingham on Nov. 1.
“I look forward to exploring Whatcom County and finding ways to best serve our communities in my new role,” Heisel said. “The Herald staff is committed to accurately informing our readers and expanding our base of subscribers, the foundation of our news operations. That means more local stories with a constant eye toward how best to present them. … Fortunately, we’re not working alone. We have the benefit of a national network of McClatchy papers from which to draw supplemental content. We also have national and regional McClatchy teams that can bolster our local reporting when needed. It’s really nice to know we have that level of support.”
