Christopher Dolan named executive editor at The Washington Times

The Washington Times announced Tuesday that Christopher Dolan has been promoted to the role of executive editor, effective immediately.

A veteran newsman with hands-on experience and calm demeanor, Mr. Dolan was previously managing editor for print, and has long been known for his strong leadership, fairness and understanding of both the news audience and the media marketplace.

Ian Bishop remains in his current role of managing editor for digital products at The Times.

“Chris and Ian Bishop have proven a powerful one-two punch atop the newsroom team, successfully leading our transformation to a digital first posture. Together with editor John Solomon and our newsroom team, they have built an enterprise capable of producing a steady stream of award-winning exclusives, generating outsized impact on breaking stories like the Navy Yard and the Paris terrorism tragedy. Under John’s watchful eye they have engineered extraordinary growth of our Web traffic — including our record setting month of November,” said Larry Beasley, president and CEO of The Washington Times.

“For years, Chris Dolan has been a steady management hand inside our newsroom who has been able to help us navigate a challenging marketplace to become a digital news leader while maintaining a high-quality print edition. He is a fantastic leader who has earned the respect of his colleagues and senior management and is well suited to lead us into the future,” Mr. Solomon said.

In the last year, The Times has seen a 40 percent increase in page views and an 81 percent increase in network advertising revenues. On Nov. 16, the news organization recorded nearly 4.3 million page views, a 24-hour mark that was 20 percent higher than the company’s previous record.

Mr. Dolan, a third-generation newspaperman, brings his traditional news sense to the table as well.

“I’ve been lucky to work with — and learn from — a slew of good reporters and editors during my nearly 15 years at the Times, and I’m grateful for the chance to add to the legacy they’ve already built,” Mr. Dolan said. “Exclusive and informative reporting is the best way to stand out in the turbulent media marketplace, and this newsroom finds ways to do that every single day.”

The editor has his own fans in the newsroom.

“Chris Dolan is one of the very best hard, straight news editors in this town. He not only wants the truth, he cares deeply about the reporters who are out there trying to find it for him,” said Guy Taylor, foreign policy and intelligence reporter.

Before joining the Times, Mr. Dolan held reporting and editing positions at The Times-Picayune in New Orleans, The Oregonian in Portland, Oregon, The Sun Coast Media Group in Florida, and The Journal Newspapers in suburban Washington.

Born on June 25, 1969, Mr. Dolan graduated from Lehigh University in 1992, majoring in journalism. He and his wife, Lydia, have one son, Peter, and one daughter, Celeste.