Former USA Today editor joins The Baltimore Sun as opinion editor

Baltimore Sun Media has tapped a former USA today editor to oversee The Baltimore Sun’s editorial and op-ed pages, the company said Monday.

Candy Woodall, a 20-year journalism veteran, started Monday as The Sun’s opinion editor.

Woodall will succeed Tricia Bishop, The Sun’s director of opinion and features content since 2019, who is taking over as managing editor for Sam Davis, who plans to retire from a 44-year journalism career at The Sun at the end of June. Woodall will oversee The Sun’s editorial and op-ed pages and eventually the opinion pages at the Capital Gazette and Carroll County Times.  A deputy opinion editor is expected to be announced soon to work with her.

Woodall, an award-winning reporter and editor who has covered beats including Congress, business, education and technology, most recently was Congress and campaigns editor at USA Today. In that role, she expanded the outlet’s audience and oversaw a team of 10 reporters’ political coverage.

“Our opinion pages have long been the leading place for commentary from around the Baltimore region,” said Trif Alatzas, The Sun’s publisher and editor-in-chief. “We remain committed to providing a place for thoughtful debate and we are pleased to welcome Candy to our staff given her veteran experience in journalism.”

Woodall will report initially to Bishop.

Under Woodall’s leadership, “we expect the opinion sections of Baltimore Sun Media, which operate independently from the newsrooms, to thoughtfully and thoroughly explore the major issues of our time through well-researched staff and community commentary that reflects the diverse experiences, perceptions and voices of our region,” Bishop said.

The management changes, sparked by Davis’ retirement, come five months after The Sun was acquired in a private deal by David D. Smith, executive chairman of Hunt Valley-based television station owner Sinclair Inc., along with co-owner Armstrong Williams, a well-known conservative talk show host and syndicated columnist.

Williams said he’s thrilled to welcome Woodall as The Sun’s new opinion editor.

“Her sharp insights, vast editorial experience and dedication to The Sun will undoubtedly elevate our opinion section to new heights,” he said.

Woodall previously worked as a Gannett network reporter, launching the Pennsylvania State Capital Bureau. Prior to that, she worked at dailies in Pennsylvania, including The York Dispatch, The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and the York Daily Record.

Woodall was part of a team at the York Daily Record that won an award from the Pennsylvania Newsmedia Association for its 2019 coverage of Pennsylvania priest abuse. The coverage showed how the Catholic Church continued to support and hide priests who sexually abused children.