Veteran journalist John Dunbar to lead Daytona Beach News-Journal, St. Augustine Record

DAYTONA BEACH — An award-winning editor with more than 25 years of experience and a focus on investigative journalism has been named the new executive editor of The Daytona Beach News-Journal and its sister publication the St. Augustine Record.

John Dunbar, 58, who will lead news-gathering operations in both newsrooms, was introduced to staff members of both newspapers on Wednesday at the News-Journal’s office in Daytona Beach.

Dunbar said that he is eager to cover news in the Sunshine State, where he graduated with a degree in mass communications from the University of South Florida in Tampa and worked his first reporting jobs, including time as an investigative reporter at the Florida Times-Union in Jacksonville in the late 1990s.

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“It’s a fabulous news environment,” he said of the state. “There are a million stories to cover, and I am excited about coming home. Even though I’m not an actual native, I spent some very formative years here (in Florida) and I always enjoyed it, always loved it.”

Dunbar arrived a day earlier from Memphis, Tenn., where he had worked as editor of enterprise and investigations at the Daily Memphian, a non-profit local news organization.

Before the Daily Memphian, Dunbar spent three years at the Bloomberg Industry Group, a specialized reporting unit focusing on topics including government, law and taxes. There, he helped start and build that organization’s investigative and data team.

Long history of investigative reporting

In addition to that, Dunbar spent 14 years, including two as CEO, at the Center for Public Integrity, a Pulitzer Prize-winning newsroom in Washington, D.C.

His work there included investigations about money in politics and the impact of the Citizens United decision on the funding of elections. He also created a project investigating all 50 state legislatures and ran coverage focused on the aftermath of the 2008 financial meltdown.

As CEO, he took over the organization during a financial crisis and returned it to stability. He raised more than $10 million in grants over five years.

As an editor and reporter, Dunbar has created or supervised work that has won awards from the Society of American Business Editors and Writers, Investigative Reporters & Editors, the Society of Professional Journalists, the Online News Association, and the George Polk Award for Business Writing among others.

Dunbar has the right combination of executive leadership experience and strong journalistic achievement to serve Daytona Beach and St. Augustine readers, said Jennifer Orsi, Vice President/Content of the Florida-Georgia region for Gannett, the company that owns both publications.

“He has a history of success in investigative and accountability journalism, which goes to the heart of what we do as watchdogs in our local communities,” said Orsi, who introduced Dunbar to staff members on Wednesday. “I know John will be a strong leader for our news team and in the community.

“His background with grant-funded journalism can also serve to help us find new support for local news and strengthen what we provide readers in Volusia, Flagler and St. Johns counties.”

In new role, a focus on 'good accountability journalism'

In Daytona Beach and St. Augustine, Dunbar steps into the role formerly held by longtime editor Pat Rice, who announced his retirement at the end of 2021, closing a chapter in his own award-winning 38-year journalism career.

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In his new role, which he will begin Aug. 15, Dunbar aims to combine his passion for investigative work with a laser focus on local news to produce “good accountability journalism, good community journalism,” he said.

Dunbar also wants to leverage Gannett’s statewide and national resources to tackle bigger projects that warrant such coverage, he said.

“All journalism is investigative,” he said. “It’s just a matter of how much time you spend, how many more questions you are going to ask. It’s a local paper… so we have to laser-in on local news, that’s what people want to look at. The staff does terrific job of covering the local news.”

Another priority will be to continue the push for digital readership and subscription growth, he said. That progress also hinges on generating local content that can’t be found elsewhere, he said.

“It’s writing about things that people really care about that they can’t get anywhere else,” Dunbar said. “It’s the way we cover it, hopefully from a substantive level, that will drive digital growth.“

In the realm of grant-funded journalism, Dunbar said that he is interested in developing innovative funding models for public-service journalism initiatives, perhaps in the mold of pioneering efforts at the Seattle Times. That publication is considered a national leader in community-funded high-impact journalism projects that tackle important issues.

“I’ve worked with dozens of funders over the years, and many of them are deeply concerned about future of journalism,” he said. “They understand it as critical for democracy. There are a lot of models out there.”

Outside the office, Dunbar, who is single, is a musician who enjoys playing guitar in classic-rock bands. He also looks forward to revisiting an old hobby once he is settled in Volusia County.

“I haven’t picked up a surfboard in about 25 years,” he said. “I hear that New Smyrna Beach has some great waves, so I’m definitely going to give it the old college try to get out there on the waves.”

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: John Dunbar named executive editor at Daytona Beach News-Journal, St. Augustine Record