David Pecker out as CEO of National Enquirer parent company

August 22, 2020

NEW YORK (AP) — David Pecker is stepping down as CEO of the National Enquirer’s parent, ending a reign that saw the company entangled in a campaign-finance scandal that sent President Donald Trump’s personal lawyer to jail.

Pecker’s company, American Media Inc., is being taken over by Accelerate360, a logistics firm based in Smyrna, Georgia, whose recent efforts include the delivery of millions of facemasks and units of hand sanitizer.

Accelerate did not disclose the terms of the deal in its announcement Friday. But it said the combined entity would be headed by Accelerate CEO David Parry.

Chris Scardino, an 18-year veteran of American Media, was named president of A360 Media, the New York-based unit that will house American Media’s former titles, which also include Us Weekly, Life & Style and OK! Pecker will serve as an “executive advisor” to the company’s A360 Media division, Accelerate said.

Under Pecker, the National Enquirer for years buried potentially embarrassing stories about Trump and other favored celebrities by buying the rights to them and never publishing. The practice was known as “catch-and-kill.”

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