Cronin to head WA Newspapers

WA Newspapers has appointed Bob Cronin as editor-in-chief. The 65-year-old was editor-in-chief of The West Australian for a decade until 1996. The publisher has yet to confirm whether controversial editor Paul Armstrong will remain in his post in the new year. Mr Cronin will be responsible for editing the group's newspapers and websites. As revealed by The Australian Financial Review on Monday, Mr Cronin is a close ally of the paper's biggest shareholder, Kerry Stokes. Mr Stokes last week completed a board overhaul and parachuted former Channel 7 Perth boss Chris Wharton into the role as chief executive. Mr Wharton started his new role on Monday. Mr Cronin unsuccessfully contested the federal seat of Stirling for the Liberal Party at the 2001 election, but is no longer a member of the party. He has more recently worked for Mr Stokes' Shanghai Daily newspaper. Julie-anne Sprague