Business Matters Losing Two Reporters

Nell Smith and Edward Klump plan to leave the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette’s Business Matters section in Springdale to work at the newspaper’s main office in Little Rock.

Smith will cover health care. Klump’s new beat includes tourism, transportation and the oil and gas industry. Smith said it could be “two weeks or two months” before she moves south.

She said Klump wasn’t sure of his departure date either.

Smith has been at Business Matters for a year and a half. Klump worked for the weekly consumer business section for the past 14 months.

The changes will leave Business Matters with two editors and three reporters on staff, at least until replacements are hired for Smith and Klump.

Three reporters left the Business Matters staff last year. Dan Zehr left earlier this year to work in the D-G’s Little Rock office.