Dave Teeuwen, 45, managing editor of USA TODAY, loses cancer battle
Journalist helped lead newsroom’s digital transformation effort
Dave Teeuwen, managing editor of USA TODAY and one of the newspaper’s most forceful advocates of digital transformation, died Wednesday after a nine-year battle with cancer. He was 45.
Known in the newsroom for his persistent but even-keeled management style and passion for his beloved Pittsburgh Steelers, Teeuwen had an unlikely and meteoric ascent during his 16year USA TODAY career.
“He was a wonderfully passionate journalist and, more importantly, a passionate digital journalist,” said USA TODAY Editor in Chief Dave Callaway, Teeuwen’s boss. “He helped pioneer USA TODAY’s emergence as a major digital news organization.”
A native of Youngstown, Ohio, Teeuwen graduated from Ohio State University with a degree in broadcast journalism and received his master’s in mass communications at Miami University in Ohio. Unlike many of his colleagues, Teeuwen began his career in radio. After moving to Washington, D.C., he worked for Radio America, hosting a onehour daily news program.
With USA TODAY seeking to broaden its non-print offerings, Teeuwen was hired by the Gannett-owned newspaper in 1999 as a multimedia producer, specializ- ing in audio in the dotcom department that was, at the time, apart from the print newsroom.
“He was exposed to platforms other than print prior to coming there,” said Chet Czarniak, a former USA TODAY editor who, as head of USA TODAY’s digital news operations, supervised Teeuwen. “He wasn’t an inkstained wretch. He was open to those platforms and experimentation. But he had a really good sense of news and a no-nonsense approach to the job.”
Teeuwen steadily rose through the ranks on the dotcom side of USA TODAY, having been promoted to senior producer of rich media and, later, deputy editor of the design department that experimented in the early 2000s with visual and interactive tools.
The integration of the print and dotcom news departments at USA TODAY in 2006 opened new doors for those who could combine digital savvy with journalistic chops. And Teeuwen was one of the most notable up-and-comers who seized the opportunity at a time when editors recognized the need to embrace the digitalfirst mind-set while tussling with the habits and rhythms of the daily print cycle. After the integration, he was named to a key post — website manager — that oversaw the site’s presentation and functionality.
“Dave was a key member of the team who, at the time, really ignited USA TODAY’s early digital storytelling efforts,” said Patty Michalski, USA TODAY’s managing editor of digital. “And remember, this was back in the early 2000s, when even the Web was young. But that team really pushed the envelope with what digital publications could do when events like 9/11 or the Columbia space shuttle disaster (2003) happened.”
Callaway, who was named editor in chief in July 2012 with a mandate to accelerate USA TODAY’s digital-first transformation, quickly noticed Teeuwen’s impact. Five months later, Callaway named him managing editor of real-time news, in charge of moving the newsroom to function more like a wire service. “He was the first one I noticed who got what we were trying to do — understanding the things that needed to happen,” Callaway said.
Teeuwen’s career ascent overlapped with personal difficulties. He was diagnosed with intestinal cancer in 2006 and seemingly beat it after surgery and treatment. Two years later, cancer returned, and doctors told him he would have less than 18 months to live, said Erick Smith, senior digital producer at USA TODAY and a close friend of Teeuwen.
Teeuwen sought other opinions and underwent treatments even as he continued to work and receive promotions.
“He never gave up,” Smith said. “He loved the newsroom. But he wanted to retain (his condition) for himself. That’s how he dealt with it. He talked about USA TODAY all the time.”
Teeuwen is survived by his parents, Martin and Sylvia, his wife, Leilani, and daughter, Emma.