Scott White, the editor-in-chief of the Canadian Press, told staff Monday he was leaving the news agency, ending a 35-year career as a journalist.

In a brief email to J-Source, White confirmed his departure but said he could not share any details.

Scott White, the editor-in-chief of the Canadian Press, told staff Monday he was leaving the news agency, ending a 35-year career as a journalist.

In a brief email to J-Source, White confirmed his departure but said he could not share any details.

In a Canadian Press article, the 55-year-old said "Everybody should at some point admit that it's a good time for somebody else to bring in new ideas." He will resign March 21 and has lined up a new undisclosed job.

“In many ways, White personified the company's heart and soul: self-effacing but demanding attention, all the while wedded to uncompromising standards of accuracy, speed and fairness, regardless of platform,” Colin Perkel, a Canadian Press reporter, said in the article.

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White was hired in 1979 as a 20-year-old straight out of journalism school and served in various roles, such as a political reporter in the Ontario legislature, sports editor, Washington correspondent, Vancouver bureau chief and head of the pictures department, before taking the helm as editor-in-chief more than 15 years ago.

During his tenure, Canadian Press won the Michener Award for meritorious public service journalism, several National Newspaper Awards and the Canadian Journalism Foundation Award of Excellence. White was also at the helm of the organization when it transformed in 2010 from a newspaper co-operative into a for-profit corporation, owned by Torstar Corp., CTVglobemedia Publishing Inc. and Square Victoria Communications Group, which owned seven French-language newspapers, including La Presse. 

It’s unclear who will replace White as editor-in-chief of the Canadian Press.

Canadian Press staff responsed with shock at the unexpected departure. 

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