Michele Chandler named Record Searchlight news editor

David Benda, Redding Record Searchlight
·2 min read

Senior reporter Michele Chandler has been promoted to local managing editor at the Record Searchlight.

Chandler is a veteran journalist who has been at the Record Searchlight since August 2018.

Michele Chandler
Michele Chandler

She has covered a variety of beats for the newspaper and Redding.com, including most recently criminal justice. She also was part of the team that led the award-winning Ask the Record Searchlight initiative.

Chandler becomes the seventh news editor at the Record Searchlight and succeeds Jenny Espino, who was recently promoted to executive editor.

In her new position, Chandler will lead the day-to-day operations at the paper.

“I have great respect for our team and look forward to working with all the members of our newsroom,” Chandler said.

Espino said Chandler is the right fit for the newsroom.

"Michele is committed to high-quality journalism, cares deeply about the communities that the Record Searchlight serves and knows we need to be essential and relevant in our coverage," Espino said.

"She is a fearless leader and handles pressure with professionalism and grace. I know she will fight hard for our readers and our journalists. I'm excited and fortunate to work with her in her new role."

Silas Lyons, a Gannett news executive who supports the company's small newspapers including the Record Searchlight, called Chandler an exceptionally qualified professional whose experience in the industry will serve Redding well.

"More importantly, she personifies the values the paper has stood for since 1938 – integrity, fearlessness and commitment to community," he said. "The newsroom is smaller than when I took on the role in 2007, or when Jenny Espino stepped up in 2018. But the team hasn’t lost an ounce of its commitment to the North State, and Michele is just the leader to shepherd it into the future. I can’t wait to see the things she and the team will accomplish."

Before coming to Redding, Chandler analyzed the technology industry for Investor's Business Daily in the Silicon Valley, wrote about the retail industry at the San Jose Mercury News and focused on consumer affairs for the Miami Herald.

Chandler is a graduate of the University of Maryland's journalism program and grew up in the Washington, D.C. area.

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This article originally appeared on Redding Record Searchlight: Michele Chandler named Record Searchlight news editor