Daily Beast replaces editor in chief

The Daily Beast has replaced its editor in chief following a broader shake up of its leadership in recent weeks.

Tracy Connor, who has led the tabloid since 2021, will exit the company and be replaced by Hugh Dougherty, publisher Ben Sherwood wrote in a memo to staff shared with several media outlets.

Dougherty is currently a deputy editor at the New York Post, and has served in similar roles at British tabloids The Daily Mail and Evening Standard.

His appointment signals “the start of our transformation of the newsroom and underlying business as we confront the realities of the moment and confront the opportunities ahead,” Sherwood wrote.

Sherwood, a former Disney executive, was hired this spring by mogul and owner Barry Diller to run the Beast along with longtime media boss Joanna Coles.

“Being the editor in chief of The Daily Beast was the honor of a lifetime—and more fun than anyone has a right to expect at work,” Connor wrote in a social media post on Tuesday. “I’m so proud of what this mega-talented team has accomplished and I am excited for the next chapter, for myself and for the Beast.”