Managing editor resigns after cat dispute over newsroom leadership 

Following an internal dispute, Managing Editor MJ Cameron said he will step down and allow his cat, Mango, to take over the role.

By M.J. Cameron

As the managing editor of The Tacoma Ledger, I am formally announcing my resignation in this week’s issue. The decision was not easy, and I will miss working with the staff. 

The decision followed a dispute Monday afternoon with my cat, Mango, over the future leadership of The Tacoma Ledger. While I was sleeping, Mango jumped on my bed, purred loudly and meowed in my face, waking me up. She refused to comment further on the reason for this. 

“MEOOWWWW MEOW MEOWWWW,” Mango said. 

Mango then alleged that my recent sleep schedule had affected my performance as the managing editor and argued that she was better suited for the role. I responded that Editor-in-Chief Michaela Ely would likely disagree and told Mango that if she believed she was more qualified, she could take the job herself. Mango accepted the offer. 

I did not expect her acceptance and initially objected on the grounds that she is a cat and therefore lacks basic newsroom skills, including reading, writing and typing. Mango challenged that claim in her included statement of this article. 

Mango’s Statement 

Meow meow meow meow, meow meow, meoooooow meow. Meow meow MEOWWWWW meow. 

Meow meow 

Back to MJ 

Her submission, while brief, demonstrated a level of clarity and efficiency rarely seen. She made a deal with me. If I fed her whenever she wanted, she’d give me her paycheck every payday. I agreed, because like every 20-year-old college student in the U.S., I’m broke.  

With the agreement Mango and I made, I emailed my supervisor, Alex Bruell, and told him I’d be resigning effective immediately, and that my cat would be taking over for me.  

“A cat can’t work at The Tacoma Ledger, how would that even work? We can’t interview a cat,” Bruell said. 

Once I showed Bruell Mango’s writing and a photo of her, he immediately started the paperwork process to get her on the team.                                 

Mango wasted no time stepping into the role. Ely said that her first changes as managing editor included replacing weekly meetings with mandatory nap breaks, banning stories that “do not interest her,” and requiring all staff members to always keep at least one emergency Churu in their bags. Ely and Bruell had no say in the changes and said that Mango’s stare was enough to intimidate them. 

“At first I had concerns about professionalism,” Ely said. “But after seeing her confidence, communication skills and ability to stare at people until they do what she wants, I realized she already has strong leadership qualities.” 

Bruell said Mango’s transition into the newsroom has gone more smoothly than expected. He said her habit of sitting on keyboards and deleting paragraphs may improve concision, and articles will become shorter in the long run. 

Mango has also made it clear that her coverage priorities will be different from mine. She plans to focus on the important issues, including campus windows with the best sunlight, suspicious movements from birds outside and whether the Ledger’s office can support full-time cat trees. 

While I am saddened to step away from my role, I take comfort in knowing The Tacoma Ledger is in capable paws. Mango could not be reached for further comment because she was busy knocking Pop Mart figurines off my shelf.