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•June 1, 2016•

EDITOR’S NOTE: Sullivan native Kathy Best’s newspaper career is taking her to Missoula, Montana. The daughter of the Moultrie County News Progress late publisher and editor Bob and Marion Best has worked from coast to coast, leaving the family newspaper in Sullivan for brother Bob to tend. The following Montana Standard story by Darrell Erhlick announced her appointment this week.

Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Kathy Best has been named editor of the Missoulian and the Ravalli Republic, Publisher Mark Heintzelman announced Wednesday.

Best is currently the editor and vice president for news at The Seattle Times. In that role, she has helped lead the newsroom to three Pulitzer prizes and multiple national print and digital journalism awards, including for video and multimedia presentations. She’s known for her commitment to significant watchdog and investigative journalism, innovative explanatory reporting and engaging storytelling that illuminates the heart and soul of a community. She has spent the last nine years in Seattle helping the newsroom learn to do all of those things well on multiple platforms — from desktops to mobile and from social media to Sunday print.

“The opportunity to lead the Missoulian and Ravalli Republic allows me to return to my first and deepest love -- great community journalism,’’ Best said. “I can’t wait to help these talented newsrooms take their work to the next level, giving print and digital readers in western Montana relevant and engaging news they can’t get anywhere else. We’re going to have some fun.’’

Newspapering is part of a family tradition for Best. She worked for her family’s newspaper in central Illinois, the News-Progress in Sullivan. It was there that she learned the basics of newspapering, from taking photos to selling ads. She continues to be a co-owner of the newspaper with her brother.     Login or Subscribe to read the rest of this story.