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Rob Cunningham, who has served as editor of the Berkeley Daily Planet since its launch last year, will step down from his post on July 15, Publisher Arnold Lee announced today. Cunningham will be succeeded by Judith Scherr, who has worked as the newspaper’s lead reporter since May 1999. 

“Working as the Daily Planet’s editor has been a once-in-a-lifetime experience that’s given me a front-row seat to observe one of the most vibrant, exciting cities in the world,” Cunningham said. 

“If there’s one thing I’ve learned during my time here, it’s this: Berkeleyans are passionate people, and their passion is best seen in how zealously they get involved in community and neighborhood issues. Needless to say, that creates a wealth of stories for a newspaper to cover.” 

In addition to his responsibilities overseeing the Daily Planet’s newsroom, Cunningham has worked as the staff’s education reporter and chief photographer. He’s also been the primary designer of the news pages. 

“It goes without saying that we will miss Rob terribly,” Lee said. “He has been outstanding in terms of his leadership and extraordinary efforts in establishing the credibility and acceptance of the Berkeley Daily Planet. On a personal level, Rob is a truly wonderful person and friend. We all wish Rob the best in his ‘higher’ pursuits. 

“At the same time, we are incredibly fortunate and excited that we have an equally strong leader and editor in Judith Scherr. As anyone who reads the Daily Planet knows, Judith brings a unique combination of objective reporting skills and experience coupled with her deep understanding of the Berkeley community. All of us at the Daily Planet have enormous respect for Judith and are extremely excited about our continued growth under her direction.” 

Since its launch on April 7, 1999, the newspaper has more than doubled in the number of issues printed each day – from 5,000 to more than 10,000 – and the number of pages has nearly tripled – from eight pages per day to an average of 20 to 24 per day today. 

Prior to becoming editor of the Daily Planet, Cunningham had spent more than three years on the staff of the Turlock Journal, the daily newspaper in his hometown of Turlock in the Central Valley. His tenure include stints as a staff reporter, copy editor, city editor and managing editor. 

He’s a 1995 graduate of Evangel College in Springfield, Mo., where he earned his bachelor’s degree in journalism and biblical studies, with a sociology minor. 

“A lot of my friends, when they heard I was moving to Berkeley, said I was the unlikeliest of editors for a city like this, and in some ways, they were right,” Cunningham said. “But I’ve learned that readers in Berkeley are as hungry for daily news about their community as readers in any other town.” 

After leaving the Daily Planet, Cunningham will spend several weeks on the road – “much needed vacation,” he says – and then will leave for a four-month stay in Athens, Greece, where he will work with some longtime friends who are missionaries. His responsibilities will include teaching a journalism class and a host of computer-related production assignments. He intends to return to California for a to-be-determined job, most likely working with a church in some capacity. 

Scherr has worked as a reporter for about 10 years, freelancing for two years while continuing to teach special education. She then worked for The Montclarion and the Contra Costa News Agency, followed by a year of free-lance reporting with the San Francisco Chronicle, City Search, the Berkeley Monthly, and Asian Week. 

A Berkeley resident for 26 years, Scherr is looking forward to expanding the paper’s coverage to yet untapped dimensions of the city, as the staff expands. 

“Berkeley is a planet rich with people from all over the globe,” she said. “Its citizens are active in so many spheres – they love their work, they fight for their neighborhoods, they care about their schools and parks. Their communities are religious, political, familial. When it all works, our community is beautiful. When it doesn’t, we hope the Daily Planet will be there to say why.” 

When Scherr shifts into the editor’s post, she will leave behind her full-time duties as the city reporter. She has but one regret in making the move: “I will miss those six-hour council meetings.”