Retiring Star-Telegram editor reflects on the power of local journalism
In June 1986, I walked into the newsroom of the Finger Lakes Times in Geneva, New York, to begin my first full-time job in journalism.
Forty years later — and after stops in North Carolina, Tennessee and Kansas — I say with a feeling of satisfaction and gratefulness that it is time for me to step away. I will retire as president and editor of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram effective July 3.
In a business that has been buffeted by disruption for the last 20 years, I am truly blessed to stand at this moment in my career. I attribute my success to the many good people who have helped me along the way.
It began with Don Hadley, the managing editor of the Finger Lakes Times, who gave me my first job as a reporter and growled, “If your mother says she loves you, check it out.” It ends here at the Star-Telegram with a newsroom full of people passionate about journalism and the leaders of our parent company, McClatchy Media, who have supported me in every possible way.
The changes in how we have published news over 40 years reflect the changes we have gone through as a society. In the beginning, I wrote stories using an electric typewriter. Today, our reporters can publish news online via their cellphones.
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We gather and deliver the news differently, but the constant has been the power and importance of local journalism. An early example was the project I did as a young reporter that brought conversations about teen suicide out of the shadows — and landed me an interview with Billy Joel, who had written a song about suicide called “You’re Only Human (Second Wind).” More recently, I would point to our drumbeat of accountability coverage of the Fort Worth Independent School District that helped prompt an increased focus on literacy.
I’m honored to have spent the last eight years of my career in Fort Worth, a community that has welcomed me and my family. I’ve tried to contribute to our city beyond my work at the Star-Telegram, serving on the boards of my church, the TCU Wesley Foundation, Downtown Fort Worth Inc. and the Goodfellow Fund.
Highlights of my time in Fort Worth as editor
As a newsroom leader, I’ve worked with our team through many challenges — including everything from natural disasters to the death of our beloved colleague Mitch Mitchell and the impact COVID-19 had on society and the workplace.
But the things that stand out most from my time in Fort Worth relate to stories and opportunities to do impactful journalism. What am I most proud of during my tenure? Three things rise to the top:
- A project we published in 2020, by reporter Nichole Manna and visual journalist Yffy Yossifor, “Life and Death in 76104,” explored why the people who live in that Fort Worth ZIP code have the lowest life expectancy in Texas. That project spurred community action to change the statistics and the narrative, work that continues today.
- The formation of the Crossroads Lab, a group of reporters who dig into under-reported — but important — topics such as education, early childhood development, healthcare and equity. The reporters are funded through partnerships with philanthropic organizations that, in the last five years, have contributed more than $2 million. Our partners recognize that local journalism and an informed citizenry are foundational for our society.
- In the fall of 2024, we produced an event — working with some of our philanthropic partners and many community organizations — called “Is Reading a Civil Right?” It included a nationally known speaker and a panel discussion with local stakeholders. It focused on the failings of our school system in teaching kids to read. In-person attendance was sold-out and thousands watched it on a livestream. Not long after, I saw people at school news conferences carrying signs that said, “Reading is a civil right.”
Local journalism matters. But don’t just take my word for it.
Readers testify to power of local journalism
Here’s an email I received in 2008 when I was the editor of the Jackson Sun in Tennessee. It came the day after a tornado devastated the campus of Union University and other parts of Jackson. The writer lived nearly five hours away.
“Thank you for your information on the tornado. As a parent of a Union student that lives in Knoxville, I was struggling to find information. Your website was the best place we found for information. We appreciate your coverage.”
Here’s part of a handwritten note a reader sent to our staff when I was the editor of the Wichita Eagle in Kansas: “What you do is important to me. What you do is vital to our community. Please keep on keeping on.”
And here’s an excerpt from an email sent to Star-Telegram reporter Lauren Castle in 2022 after she wrote a story about the AIDS Outreach Center. A man with HIV had been struggling to find medical help and connected with the center after reading the story.
“It’s not a stretch to say that your precise journalism and your investment in our community saved this man’s life!,” a center representative wrote.
After 40 years in this business, I can say, without a doubt, that the teams I’ve worked with in Texas, Kansas, Tennessee, North Carolina and New York all produced journalism that made the community better.
A search is under way for the person who will pick up the mantle after my retirement date arrives next month.
When I walk out of our office for the last time, know that it will be with a smile on my face and a heart full of pride about what the teams I’ve worked with have accomplished.
Thank you for supporting local journalism with your readership and subscription. With it, you are supporting journalists like me and helping to make our community better, too.
