Evan Smith Leaves Texas Monthly to Rescue Newspapers

In these uncertain times, many would consider leaving a stable magazine power job for a regional nonprofit news site a risky career move. But Evan Smith, who until yesterday was the editor of Texas Monthly, is doing just that.

And if anyone can pull it off, it’s Smith: though Texas is oft-overlooked by the New York-centric magazine world, Smith transformed Texas Monthly into a national powerhouse during his tenure as EIC — a post he’s held since 2000 — winning two National Magazine Awards, most recently this year.

In his resignation letter, he thanked the Texas Monthly staff and described his new venture, the Texas Tribune, as “a nonprofit, nonpartisan public media organization whose mission is to promote civic engagement and discourse on public policy, politics, government, and other matters of statewide interest.” According to Media Decoder, the venture has raised $2.2 million so far and hopes to hit $4 million by the time it launches.

See Smith’s full resignation letter at Romenesko.

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