Brad Harper named news director at Montgomery Advertiser

Montgomery native and veteran journalist Brad Harper has been named the Montgomery Advertiser’s news director. He takes over the role after nearly three decades in journalism, most recently covering city government, business, development and change for the Advertiser.

“There's one thing that I've seen from the beginning as a journalist and that I believe to this day: I believe in the power of people's stories, whether that means the impact of laws or how our state and region are changing in ways good and bad,” Harper said. “I believe that the best way to tell those stories is through the eyes of the people who are being affected, and I believe those stories have the power to change lives, both in this community and beyond.”

Harper succeeds Steve Arnold, who retired from the role of news director in late 2022. Harper will oversee newsroom operations and lead local coverage as Montgomery Advertiser executive editor Paige O. Windsor takes on regional responsibilities in Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana and Texas.

Harper started working at the Advertiser as a copy editor in early 1999. He has made his way through the newsroom, becoming a video editor, a member of the digital data team, back to the copy desk and then landing at business editor in 2012. He added city coverage to his beat in 2020.

Readers now know Harper for his smart coverage of Montgomery’s past, present and future through a business lens.

Windsor said reporters and readers alike will benefit from Harper's leadership and his deep understanding of Montgomery's history.

"Brad is deeply invested in Montgomery, its people and its businesses. That's evident to readers in the kinds of stories he's covered — from our Community Hero series to new business ventures, growth and development — but it's apparent to us as his coworkers, too," Windsor said. "He hasn't just covered this community for a long time, he and his family are a part of it."

Harper has lived in and around Montgomery his entire life. He attended Montgomery Public Schools for a time before moving to Tallassee for high school, and he went on to attend Auburn University at Montgomery before graduating from Troy University.

This is his home, and this is also where he found his love of journalism at a young age.

In his high school days, Harper was under the impression that one of his teachers, who also served as the student newspaper adviser, gave preferential treatment to the journalism students. At the time, he was not one of them.

During one class, Harper remembers making a snarky comment about the newspaper kids getting extra time on an assignment, and his teacher decided to prove a point. She told him to go home, find a story and write up an article for the student paper.

The next day, he turned in a feature on Clara Lee O’Brien, his next-door neighbor who happened to be the widow of Tallassee football legend J.E. “Hot” O’Brien. Harper’s teacher said the article was so good, she couldn’t believe he wrote it.

Since then, Harper has not stopped sharing the stories of the community he loves, and he plans to continue to do so in his new role.

“As someone who grew up reading the Advertiser every morning at my dad’s kitchen table, this really is a dream job for me,” Harper said. “It’s an honor to be able to lead this talented team as we work to better serve our community.”

Hadley Hitson covers the rural South for the Montgomery Advertiser and Report for America. She can be reached at hhitson@gannett.com. To support her work, subscribe to the Advertiser or donate to Report for America.

This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Brad Harper named news director at Montgomery Advertiser