FAYETTEVILLE -- Rusty Turner, who oversees news operations at the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, River Valley Democrat-Gazette and several weekly newspapers, announced Monday he plans to retire this spring after dedicating 40 years to journalism in the region.
Turner shared the news with newspaper staff on Monday. He has pegged May 19, his 62nd birthday, as his last day on the job.
"It just kind of feels like the time is right," he said.
Turner graduated from the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, in 1983 with a bachelor's degree in print journalism. Over the next seven years, he worked as a news reporter and sports writer for newspapers in Northwest Arkansas and the River Valley.
He took on his first job as an editor in June 1991 with the Northwest Arkansas Morning News in Rogers, then became managing editor in 1994 after that paper merged with the Springdale Morning News. He was promoted to editor in 2003.
A major shakeup in the local newspaper scene came in 2009 when The Morning News and its parent company, Stephens Media, agreed to merge with its competitor, WEHCO Media, publisher of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette and various daily and weekly publications in the area. The new company was called Northwest Arkansas Newspapers LLC.
Turner was named executive editor over all publications involved in the merger except for what was then the Northwest edition of the Democrat-Gazette.
Turner helped oversee another major transition in 2015, when the four daily newspapers operated by Northwest Arkansas Newspapers and the Northwest edition of the Democrat-Gazette were consolidated to become a single regional newspaper, the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.
His current role as editor encompasses many duties, including assigning and editing copy, supervising employees, managing a budget and hosting the weekly podcast Know the News.
"It's a challenging job," Turner said. "I still get a rush out of getting a great story and getting it out in front of people."
The way newspapers do that has changed significantly over the past few decades with the onset of the digital age. Adapting to changes in the ways people consume news and helping his staff adapt to those changes has occupied much of Turner's time over the years.
"It seems like nothing stays the same for more than six months anymore," Turner said. "That's a huge part of this job, is trying to anticipate what those trends are going to be and being there to meet them as quickly as you can."
Brent Powers, president of the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette and River Valley Democrat-Gazette, said he and Turner have worked well together in the six years since Powers joined the organization.
Turner led the editorial department during the newspaper's conversion to a daily, digital iPad replica edition with Sunday home delivery, Powers said.
"He had countless conversations with subscribers explaining our, at the time, new strategy, which has been successful," Powers said.
"I know his staff will miss his laugh and deep knowledge of our beloved Arkansas and our industry. I wish him well in his retirement, but something tells me he has another chapter to write."
Eliza Hussman Gaines said she appreciates Turner's years of hard work and leadership. Gaines became publisher of WEHCO Media on Jan. 1, succeeding her father, Walter Hussman Jr., who retired.
Turner "has been committed to serving readers unbiased news they can trust, and he understands the important role of local news in communities," Gaines said.
Turner said he's known since high school he wanted to be a journalist.
As a boy living in Tulsa, Okla., he read the Tulsa World and became a fan of a particular columnist, Troy Gordon. A sixth-grade class assignment required Turner to write a letter to someone he admired and ask them for career advice. Turner chose to write to Gordon, who responded with a letter Turner treasured.
"He outlined what it took to be a reporter," Turner said. "He talked about reading the newspaper every day, not just the sports pages and the comic strips, but know what's going on, pay attention to what was happening in your town, be curious, ask questions. It was just great advice for someone interested in journalism."
That was about the same time the Watergate scandal erupted around President Richard Nixon. The investigative work of Washington Post reporters -- particularly Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein -- on the matter further inspired Turner.
"That just spurred my interest in journalism, and the importance of it -- the importance of holding government accountable, the importance of making sure there was somebody looking over the shoulder of people in power," he said.
Turner was involved in the Arkansas FOI Project in 1999, a statewide audit of the Arkansas Freedom of Information Act. The project involved recruiting volunteers to visit each of the state's 75 counties to make FOI requests and testing the custodians of public records on their familiarity with the open records law and willingness to follow it. The project exposed the fact many of those record keepers weren't living up to their obligations under the law.
The vast majority of public servants want to do the right thing and understand what their obligations are under FOI, Turner said. But, he added, there are still those who see open government more as an inconvenience than a part of their job.
Turner served a year and a half, starting in early 2020, as president of the Arkansas Press Association's board of directors. Ashley Wimberley, the association's executive director since 2018, described Turner as a "phenomenal" leader.
"The service he's given to the Press Association and, through that, to newspapers across the state, has been invaluable," Wimberley said. "We'll keep him on speed dial. He always gives good advice and thinks things through really well."
Turner's interests extend beyond journalism. He's involved with the Arkansas Public Theatre in Rogers as chairman of its board and has appeared in several plays there. He currently stars as the voice of the man-eating plant Audrey II in APT's production of "Little Shop of Horrors."
Turner also has been a regular writer and actor for the Northwest Arkansas Gridiron Show, an annual stage production that pokes fun at the news and news makers.
He said he's extremely grateful to the Hussman family and other WEHCO leaders for prioritizing the news.
"You don't have to look very far to find companies that own newspapers where journalism isn't anywhere near what the top priority is," Turner said. "Our community remains very fortunate to have a newspaper owned by a company that puts news first."
He added he's been fortunate to work with some great journalists during his career. Lisa Thompson, managing editor of the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, is "the best journalist I've ever met," he said.
Turner and his wife, Anita, have two adult sons and two grandchildren. Anita Turner is an elementary school principal in Rogers.
The couple plan to stay in the area.
"This is home," Turner said.