Tone Madison is announcing some leadership changes

Our fiercely independent, journalist-owned publication will move forward as our publisher steps down.

Tone Madison will be making some major changes this year. But we’re not going away, nor is our commitment to fiercely independent coverage of culture and politics in Madison.

Co-founder Scott Gordon will step down from his role as Publisher and Editor-in-Chief on May 1. After taking some time off, Gordon will continue to contribute to the publication as a writer and reporter.

Tone Madison‘s three staff editors and co-owners—Christina Lieffring, Grant Phipps, and Steven Spoerl—will lead Tone Madison into its next chapter. Lieffring will move from her current position as News and Politics Editor into a Managing Editor role, overseeing the publication’s day-to-day operations. We’re planning to hire another News and Politics Editor—here are the details on the position and how to apply. Phipps will continue as Film Editor, and Spoerl as Music Editor. All three co-own Tone Madison as equals, and will share business and administrative responsibilities.

Gordon has overseen Tone Madison‘s editorial and business operations since the publication launched in 2014. In 2023, Tone Madison reincorporated as a worker-owned cooperative, which means that its small staff fully owns and controls the company, safeguarding it from outside interference.

As always, we depend on direct financial support from readers to keep this work going. You can help power us into the next chapter by making a one-time or recurring donation.

From Scott:

After running this publication for 10 years, I’m very proud of what we’ve accomplished and very grateful for the support of our readers. I’m also, quite honestly, just plain worn out. Taking a step back will allow me to recover from what feels like multiple layers of burnout, and then get back to work on some reporting projects that have been taking me way too long. So it’s not goodbye. My health is fine, but I don’t have the (frankly unhealthy) workaholic stamina I once did. 

Christina, Grant, and Steven have all come to play integral roles at Tone Madison—not only editing their respective sections, but also taking on more and more of the administrative work required to keep a small media outlet afloat. I’m confident in their ability to move this publication forward. I’ve worked closely and intensively with all three of them for years. I’ve experienced firsthand the intentionality and care they put into their journalism. 

Let me brag about all three of them for a moment. Christina somehow pulls off ambitious, inventive reporting projects with a fraction of the resources available to other local outlets, even other small local outlets. At the same time, Christina gets that political journalism needn’t be a polite game—that journalists need to talk back to their betters and challenge bullshit narratives. Grant puts out the deepest, most anachronistic film coverage in town—both his own writing and contributions from a truly epic bench of freelancers Grant has recruited. At a time when the very concept of the “local film critic” is fading fast, our little publication has a bunch of them. Steven has an appreciative ear (and eye) for music across a range of genres, which is a requirement for covering Madison’s varied and sometimes baffling music scenes. More than any other music journalist I’ve met, Steven also has a deep firsthand appreciation for the dense weave of human connection that undergirds any community of musicians and listeners.

All three have also stepped up to take real ownership of work that’s not always readily apparent on the page—budgeting, fundraising, shaping our long-term plans. They’ve all shown true leadership as the co-owners of this outlet.

Tone Madison is and always has been a group effort. Every single person who’s written for us, created editorial art, or edited our stories has contributed perspectives that no one else could have provided. More than 100 people have had bylines on Tone Madison. They’ve all helped to shape what this thing is, and our conception of what it can be in the future. 

The community around us has also played an integral role. If you’ve ever read our work, shared your feedback, talked with us for a story, donated, advertised, or just plain cared, then you share in the credit and gratitude. As I’ve said a million times: Readers and journalists can work together to build the media we deserve, even when we’re up against terrifying political and economic odds.

There are quite simply too many thank-yous and reflections to jam into one post. I can’t believe how fortunate I am to work with and for so many wonderful people. Seeya soon.