Courtesy of Longview News-Journal
John Anderson has been named regional editor of M. Roberts
Media by Stephen McHaney, president of M. Roberts Media. This new title means
that Anderson will oversee the newsroom operations for the News-Journal as well
as the other East Texas markets.
Anderson, an East Texas resident, has been with the company
for almost a year and has extensive experience in newsroom management.
Anderson is a two-time national columnist of the year award
winner and was honored in 2019 for his column writing by the Texas Associated
Press Managing Editors. He also won three awards for feature writing, news
writing and columns from the North and East Texas Press Association Awards.
This move is part of a restructuring designed to bolster
newspaper operations. Taking such an approach meant eliminating Ric Brack’s
position as News-Journal editor, which he held for 10 years.
News-Journal Managing Editor Randy Ferguson will remain in
that position.
“We wish Ric well in his future endeavors and appreciate his
service to Longview and our readers,” McHaney said. “This is a strategic
decision to streamline our operations. Our readers can continue to expect
quality local journalism, and we remain committed to being the most trusted
source of local news.”
“The News-Journal reporters have worked hard to give the
residents of Longview reliable reports on how they are affected by growth,
progress and even a pandemic,” Anderson said. “Our focus will continue to be
stories you can read and videos you can watch about your friends, family and
neighbors. The M. Roberts Media newspapers have always been respected, and now
independent judges have ranked them the best in the state. I am very proud to
be part of this team.”
Anderson was a regional editor with the now
Gannett-Gatehouse Media chain and was the managing editor of the Daily News of
Batavia, N.Y. Anderson, a member of the Sons of the American Legion, has earned
Associated Press and publishers association awards for features on World War II
and Vietnam veterans.
A former sports editor and AP sports columnist award winner,
Anderson has covered several Super Bowls, NASCAR, boxing, NBA and professional
baseball and soccer.
“As fun as those are, I prefer to read about the Little
League games or local high school and college athletes,” Anderson said. “Those
are the stories we like to tell in our community. The newspaper is a historical
document, and the human side of news and sports stories are important to our
readers, just as important as our coverage of local and state government when
we let you know how decisions will affect you financially and with services.”
Anderson has also won state awards for digital storytelling
through video and earned top AP awards for breaking news, investigative
reports, feature writing and sports writing. In 2019, he won the Thomas J.
Bulson Investigative Journalism award.
“We have seen tremendous growth in our digital audience, and
we appreciate being your choice when you scroll for stories on your phone or
flip open a laptop or turn on a tablet,” Anderson said. “Our reporters take
that trust seriously as we break news 24/7 and post videos, photos and update
our eEdition seven days a week.”
While living in the rural village of Wellsville, N.Y., which
is south of Buffalo, Anderson was an engaged member of his community. He was
honored with a chamber of commerce person of the year award, has served as a
board member with the United Way and was a member of Rotary Club, Lions Club,
Loyal Order of the Moose and was a volunteer firefighter.
He also volunteered and served as a board member or
president in youth football, Little League, youth wrestling and youth
basketball. He has been a varsity girls volleyball coach, assistant varsity
baseball coach and was an assistant baseball coach at Genesee Community
College. In 2013, he led a Senior Little League team to a state championship
win and they placed in the national tournament. He also worked in radio,
television and as a public address announcer.
Anderson has three children, Brendan, Nick and Rayanna.
