NEW YORK, May 2, 2019 – Hearst announced today that Steve Riley has been named executive editor of the Houston Chronicle.The announcement was made by Steven R. Swartz, Hearst president and CEO; Jeff Johnson, Hearst Newspapers president; and John McKeon, Hearst Texas Newspapers president and Houston Chronicle publisher. The appointment is effective immediately.
Commenting on the announcement,Johnson said,“Our national search found the best editor and it’s gratifying to know this person has been an integral part of our editorial leadership all along. Steve’s strong newsroom leadership and history of compelling enterprise reporting will help us continue to fulfill our mission of providing engaging journalism that matters to our readers.”
“Steve’s commitment to journalism and his unwavering support of those who produce it are what distinguishes him from his peers,” McKeon said. “His vision and leadership will drive our newsroom’s continued evolution and the acceleration of our digital subscription growth.”
Riley has served as acting editor since Oct. 30, 2018 and was previously the deputy managing editor, investigations, beginning in November 2017, overseeing a team of reporters and a data editor. Before that, he spent more than 30 years at The News & Observer in Raleigh, North Carolina, in roles including: senior editor for investigations, deputy managing editor, metro editor, sports editor, government editor and reporter. He also worked as a reporter in Mississippi for the Clarion-Ledger in Jackson, The Sun in Gulfport and the Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal in Tupelo. His investigative teams have won more than a dozen national awards.
Riley fills the role vacated by Nancy Barnes, who departed in November to become senior vice president of news for National Public Radio.
“I am honored and thrilled to have the opportunity to lead such an ambitious and energetic newsroom,” Riley said. “The readers in this region are fortunate to be served by this group of talented professionals. I’m lucky to be a part of it.”
At the 2019 Texas Associated Press Managing Editors awards, the Chronicle was honored as Texas Newspaper of the Year. Its most recent investigations include “Abuse of Faith,” which revealed widespread sexual abuse in Southern Baptist churches across the country, and “Broken Trust,” which exposed mismanagement in the Texas Permanent School Fund, the largest school endowment in the country.
The Chronicle was a 2018 Pulitzer Prize finalist in Breaking News Reporting for its coverage of Hurricane Harvey. It was also a 2017 finalist in the Public Service category for exposing the grave injustice of arbitrary cost-cutting by the state of Texas that denied tutoring, counseling and other vital special education services to families, hindering the futures of tens of thousands of children.
The Houston Chronicle is the largest daily newspaper in Texas and the fifth-largest major regional newspaper by Sunday circulation in the United States. The Chronicle employs nearly 700 people, including approximately 235 journalists, editors and photographers, with bureaus in Washington, D.C. and Austin, Texas.
Hearst Newspapers is the operating group responsible for Hearst’s newspapers, local digital marketing services businesses and directories. With more than 4,000 employees across the nation, Hearst Newspapers publishes 24 dailies and 60 weeklies, including the Houston Chronicle, San Francisco Chronicle, San Antonio Express News and Times Union (Albany, NY). It also operates digital marketing services and directories businesses under the LocalEdge brand.
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About Hearst
Hearst is a leading global, diversified media, information and services company with more than 360 businesses. Its major interests include ownership in cable television networks such as A&E, HISTORY, Lifetime and ESPN; global financial services leader Fitch Group; Hearst Health, a group of medical information and services businesses; transportation assets including CAMP Systems International, a major provider of software-as-a-service solutions for managing maintenance of jets and helicopters; 34 television stations such as WCVB-TV in Boston and KCRA-TV in Sacramento, Calif., which reach a combined 19 percent of U.S. viewers; newspapers such as the Houston Chronicle, San Francisco Chronicle and Times Union (Albany, NY), more than 300 magazines around the world including Cosmopolitan, ELLE, Men’s Health and Car and Driver; digital services businesses such as iCrossing and KUBRA; and investments in emerging digital entertainment companies such as Complex Networks. Follow us on Twitter @HearstLive and @Hearst. To learn more about Hearst, visit our 2018 Annual Review, “What Connects Us.”
(This post was taken from a Hearst press release)
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