Tallahassee Democrat names new executive editor

William Hatfield

William Hatfield, current editor of the Northwest Florida Daily News in Fort Walton Beach, Fla., has been named executive editor of the Tallahassee (Fla.) Democrat. He will join the Democrat in early April.

Democrat President and Publisher Skip Foster said the job drew nationwide interest and that the candidate pool was impressive.

"William rose to the top," Foster said. "He understands what it means to be a community newspaper editor. He completed a remarkable transformation of the content at the Daily News and will bring fresh ideas and a hands-on approach to the Democrat."

Hatfield, 38, comes to Tallahassee from Fort Walton Beach, where he has been editor of the Northwest Florida Daily News since March 2014.

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