15 Minutes With ... Greenville News Executive Editor Leisa Richardson

Leisa Richardson describes herself as a proud Midwesterner.

Since mid-February, she has been executive editor of The Greenville News, as well as the Spartanburg Herald-Journal and the Anderson Independent-Mail.

Richardson comes to Greenville from Springfield, Illinois, where she was the editor of the State Journal-Register, also owned by Gannett. She has more than three decades of experience in Gannett newsrooms and her work has received multiple awards.

More: Gannett names Leisa Richardson executive editor for Greenville News, Spartanburg Herald Journal

"People trust us to help them navigate where they live and beyond, understand complex issues, and enjoy all that makes the Upstate unique," she says. "This is our time to reaffirm and strengthen that trust with journalism that makes a difference."

An Indiana native, Richardson is a graduate of Ball State University and has been a reporter and editor for newspapers in Danville, Ill., Cincinnati and Indianapolis as well as USA Today. She was named editor in Springfield in 2019.

She is a lifetime member of the National Association of Black Journalists and has served two terms on the organization’s board of directors as well as other NABJ leadership roles.

She describes herself as a foodie and says she’s looking forward to enjoying restaurants of all kinds here.

Her two adult sons and grandchildren live in Atlanta.

TALK GREENVILLE: Thank you for taking the time. What was it that attracted you to this area and this opportunity? 

LR: Greenville has the reputation for being a growing and thriving community. The opportunity to lead a young and talented newsroom was most attractive. On the personal front, I have two sons and grandchildren in Atlanta, so coming to Greenville gets me a little closer to them. They're excited about the move! I am, too!

TG: What did you know about Greenville and the Upstate before you started looking into moving here?

LR: I had some friends who worked here, Romando Dixson (currently Illinois State editor for Gannett) and Katrice Hardy was the editor here and she's a good friend. I also had a reporter in Springfield who was recruited to come here. As far as the newsroom, I know a bit through the people I know. The community, I am coming in with fresh eyes.

TG: About the regional nature of this area. Spartanburg, Greenville and Anderson each have their own identities and issues, yet they also have a lot of commonalities. How do you balance that? Are there similarities to Springfield and Central Illinois in general?

LR:  We have an Illinois network, where Springfield is the state capital, but we also have papers across the state, especially Peoria where Romando is the executive editor, a bunch of smaller papers, and Rockford up in the northwest corner of the state. We definitely talk and coordinate. It's mainly out of the state capital that we share with our colleagues, always looking for ways to share. In Greenville, because I have the purview of Spartanburg and Anderson, we’ll obviously share content and resources where it makes sense.

TG: You’ve seen a lot of changes in the news business – what’s the best thing? What do you miss? 

LR: One of the best things about change is the growth that comes along with it. With the digital tools we have, we can see in real time what content attracts our various audiences. So, while we continue our commitment to investigative and public service journalism, we also can update you immediately about impending weather or traffic snags, and react quickly to breaking news. Then there's video and audio capabilities that we just didn't have when print was our only way to share information. Our challenge remains how we stay on top of those evolving tastes and how we continue to deliver information.

TG: I noticed that you and your team in Springfield went through moving the newsroom to a new location -- a couple of times in the past couple of years. Now, you’re facing the possibility of the same thing here. How do you navigate that and also focus on what’s important?

LR: The Greenville team hasn't moved yet. I'll be in the downtown office daily. But if we do move, the good thing is we don't do it alone. We have a great corporate team that helps. In Springfield, I'm the person on the ground, able to check out things and know what the needs are. But the corporate team is really good at identifying places and working to get that done. It’s like if you're relocating to another home -- you don't stop working. You do what's best for your family -- or in this case our team. We are lucky that we can multi-task.

TG: What’s the best advice you’ve ever gotten about journalism? About life? 

LR: It came from an editor I had in Cincinnati -- he's since passed -- his name was Larry Beaupre. He told me that when you get to a certain point in your career and you have other opportunities, “remember what we do. We're journalists and we do journalism. If your opportunity has nothing to do with journalism. It's probably not for you.” That was the best advice that I got from anyone when it came to understanding what we do as journalists and what's important.

TG: Are great journalists made or are they born? 

LR: There are some qualities you’re born with, but journalism is something that you do and you learn. Empathy for the story is something that you grow up with, but the skills you have you acquire by learning and school and experience. I don't think that you are born with a label that says, “you will be a journalist.”

TG: OK, so what makes a great journalist? 

LR: I think being curious, not accepting the status quo. Understanding that there are things underlying the obvious. We are storytellers. No matter if it is a story about, you know, wrongdoing in state government or if it's an uplifting story about somebody who's overcome something. It's recognizing the humanity no matter where it is.

TG: You’ve been with Gannett a long time – and at some pretty storied papers -- Indianapolis and Cincinnati. What are some important things you’ve learned?

LR: I’ve learned a lot from every place I've worked, but one of the best things is to stay true to our core mission which is to seek and tell the truth. It's that simple. Another important aspect of journalism is the camaraderie that happens in a newsroom. I have a network of people who started out as colleagues and became lifelong friends. Having a network of supportive people who know our industry is important, particularly in these last few years. People you can bounce ideas off with confidence that they're going to consider what you're saying and offer up their best advice.

TG: Unlike a lot of places, there’s a competitive environment in the news business here – is it a luxury that Greenville has so many outlets vying for readers and viewers?

LR: I love it! I've always worked in competitive markets. Bring it on. Good credible information is what we are focused on, obviously. There's lots of information out there, but not all of it is good or credible. What we have been able to build over years -- decades -- as reliable news organizations is credibility. That's our foundation. People know that they can trust we've done the work to tell fair and accurate stories. If you don't have that trust you don't have anything.

TG: What does success look like for The Greenville News, and news in Spartanburg, Anderson? 

LR: The mission is the same, big operation or small -- to do good journalism, to seek the truth, to be a watchdog, to speak for the people who don't have a voice or don't know that they have a voice. Our No. 1 goal is to develop our people and grow coverage, so our readers see themselves and issues they deem important. Not that it's not there already, but we have to continue that. Are the reporters, editors, photographers and everyone else who works in the newsroom fulfilled in what they're doing? It's not just one thing that looks like success for me.

TG: When you’re not working, what do you like to do? 

LR: I’m a foodie, so restaurants. I shop -- I'm a retail therapist. I read a lot. A lot. Those are the main things. Obviously, I like to stay in contact with my family and so I travel a lot. I’m a workout person. I go to the gym and lift weights. I do cardio, stretching, all of that. Five or six days a week for sure.    TG: What are your go-tos – what kind of food do you enjoy most? 

LR: I like it all. I try to check out a lot of different kinds of restaurants from the very upscale to the dive.

TG: You’ve had a longtime involvement in NABJ (National Association of Black Journalists). Talk a little about why that’s important. 

LR: I’m a life member of NABJ. I think the mission diversifying newsrooms and advocating for journalists is so important, and not only NABJ, but also groups like NAHJ (National Association of Hispanic Journalists, AAJA (Asian-American Journalists Association), and NLGJA now called the Association of LGBTQ+ Journalists. They are all important organizations to keep our industry diverse, to make sure that we are bringing people along to develop their skills to take our places in the newsroom. That has been one of the things that I have done throughout my career -- working with journalists to bring them along -- to be an ear when they need one. I came along in a time when I was the only person of color in the newsroom, you know. I've done that several times. Being that person shouldn't happen in this day and age. It's better now, but still, it's a constant thing that we have to intentionally work on. Really, how can you adequately tell the stories of a community if your newsroom doesn't reflect that community? Fortunately, making sure newsrooms are diverse is part of the Gannett, our parent company's, DNA.

TG: You’re coming here during South Carolina’s once-every-four-years time in the spotlight of national politics. Was that a big draw for you? 

LR: I've been a political editor. I've been a Statehouse bureau chief, so I am very much interested in politics and how elections operate. It’s a really interesting time to be here and to come here.

TG: Did Romando Dixson or other colleagues give you some insights and perspective on the area? 

LR: I asked where I should live and he said, “based on what I know about where you live now, these are the neighborhoods you should look at.” So, he gave me a list of neighborhoods to check out. I’ve got a lot of open houses to go to.

TG: What are you most looking forward to getting to know about the area?

LR: I've never lived in the South. I'm a Midwesterner, so that'll be interesting to experience the similarities and differences between regions. As I've said, I'm excited!

TG: Thank you! 

This article originally appeared on Herald-Journal: 15 Minutes With ... Executive Editor Leisa Richardson