New Dispatch Editor Michael Shearer focused on local news, seeks reader feedback

With some time to kill before I was introduced as the new editor of The Columbus Dispatch a few weeks ago, I took an unplanned trip down memory lane.

From the cemetery where my mom and grandparents are buried, I headed down High Street from north of Interstate 270 all the way Downtown.

As I passed old Worthington hangouts, a church we attended, our old dentist office, the street where I first lived, Graceland shopping center and more, the memories flowed.

I’m not sure if I’ve ever made that full drive before or ever will again, but it seemed appropriate to reconnect with my hometown. And it reminded me of the dramatic changes this city has seen since my childhood and its amazing potential.

My career has taken me from Worthington High School (when there was just one in 1987) to Ohio University and now seven Ohio newspapers, including 16 years as the top editor of The Advocate in Newark. Most recently, I served as editor of the Akron Beacon Journal and other nearby newspapers for five years.

It’s an honor to now lead the talented journalists at The Dispatch, which I first remember reading as a young child to see if the Cincinnati Reds had won the night before. The world certainly has changed since those days of four TV stations and no computers or internet.

My first professional experience with The Dispatch came during college when the state editor asked me to become a regular freelancer for stories in and around Athens. The opportunity provided me with some clips that helped land my first full-time reporting job in Hamilton near Cincinnati. I later worked in Middletown and Mansfield as a city editor before competing with The Dispatch for Licking County news in Newark.

For the past seven years, I’ve worked from a distance with the Dispatch’s editors as our network of 21 media sites began to work more closely to serve Ohio readers.

My job now is to make sure The Dispatch’s newsroom thrives despite the digital tsunami disrupting our traditional business model. Local journalism is threatened in every community regardless of its size with fewer reporters than ever chronicling daily life and watching the actions of local officials.

Columbus and every city need great journalism beyond sound bites and political spin. We need reporters with time to investigate stories, seek public records and ask tough questions. We also must provide essential information for daily life and the passions of central Ohio, including the local sports and dining scenes. And we must give a voice to all people, especially the disadvantaged.

Our journalism will focus on serving readers on the platforms they prefer whether that’s our digital app, social media channels, eNewspaper or the traditional print newspaper. It’s no different than other businesses adding mobile banking or online ordering and delivery.

I will be spending the coming weeks meeting with our team, community leaders and readers to get their perspective on what we’re doing well or need to improve. I welcome your feedback, especially on the topics most important to you. If you’re already a print or digital subscriber, thank you.

Delivering and protecting local news is my passion and ensuring The Dispatch remains “Ohio’s Greatest Home Newspaper” is a challenge I willingly accept.

Michael Shearer is the new executive editor of The Columbus Dispatch and Dispatch.com. He can be reached at mshearer@dispatch.com or 614-245-0358.

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: New Dispatch Editor Michael Shearer reintroduces himself to Columbus