Good morning,
Many of us are still coming to grips with the tragic passing of Meredith Chapman.
My memories go back to her work as a champion of digital communications at a time when many of us were fumbling with the transition.
I had been tasked with editing the Newark Post,a venerable newspaper with a roller coaster history. The Post was battling stiff odds as a victim of a debt-laden acquisition by an Australian radio company during a steep economic downturn.
But a revolution was in the air. A group of champions that included Chapman, reporters at media outlets, the administration of Gov. Jack Markell, and digital specialists Rodney Jordan and Ken Grant among others pressed for new ways of doing things with tools such as the web, video, Facebook and Twitter.
With encouragement from my bosses and colleagues at the time and the digital community, the Post moved to a digital-first approach. It meant posting stories before they went into print and covering breaking news just like the big guys.
When it was time to move on, the Post had established itself in the digital landscape and continues to serve Newark more than 100 years after its founding. Its web traffic still outpaces most of its non-daily counterparts in Delaware.
Meredith moved on to positions with increasing responsibilities at UD, while serving as a faculty member in marketing and social media courses.
Over the weekend, I learned that Chapman had taken a new position at Villanova University We swapped a couple of Emails on her new position and she was clearly happy with her new job in the early going.
A story on her new position remained in the file for our Friday business people page. Sadly, it found another use.
One line in a statement released by her family summed up Chapman.
“Meredith was a beacon of light to anyone who was fortunate enough to meet her.” – Doug Rainey, publisher.
