According to a memo by Editor Phil Bronstein, the promotion of Batey, a co-founding writer of the blog SFist.com, is part of the paper’s overall attempts at streamlining its production and integrating the print and online departments.  A few weeks ago, the paper announced a one-quarter staff cut: 100 of its 400 newsroom staffers.

“There is no question that our future is so inextricably tied to online and digital that the person who oversees all things web for the newsroom should have the authority to operate at the highest levels,” explained Bronstein in his memo. Although he admitted that Batey does not have “the traditional newspaper/journalism background,” he expressed confidence that she will help “dissolve the walls between the online and print Chronicle functions.”

Source: Editor & Publisher through I Want Media