The Lead

John Bednarski, the longtime sports editor of the Marietta Daily Journal and the Cherokee Tribune. With 19 years at the helm of a local sports desk and a past presidency of the Associated Press Sports Editors (APSE)...

David Carson has been a staff photojournalist at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch since 2000 and covered events from New York City during 9/11, presidential debates and wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. His photos are featured...

Freelance photojournalist Valerie Plesch, based in Washington, D.C., has documented a range of topics, including politics, refugee resettlement and immigration, through her photos. Valerie also serves as vice president...

As editor in chief of the Atlanta Journal Constitution, Leroy Chapman Jr. sits at the top of the newsroom, overseeing every aspect of life in Georgia. Chapman began his political journalism career in his home state...

Jenni Watts, executive producer at CNN International, took an unconventional path into journalism. Beginning as a philosophy major at Auburn before moving into radio and eventually television. Her work spans...

Samira Jafari works at the intersection of timeliness and truth. As the head of standards and practices at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, she guides journalists in “bringing light, not heat” to ensure ethical codes...

Drew Kann’s reporting has taken him to the critically dwindling Colorado River, the citrus farms of the rural South, and the nuclear reactors currently under construction in Georgia. While each story may focus on one...

Bill Ruthhart interacts with the next generation of journalists on a daily basis. As a writing coach and editor for Career Programs at The New York Times, Ruthhart guides 30 newsroom fellows into their development as...

Annie Campbell knew she didn’t want to pursue a career in hard news. When she graduated from the University of Georgia, the question that remained was how she could fuse her passions into a sustainable career path...

Olivia Wakim understands that every great meal tells a story. As a digital content producer on the food and dining team at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Wakim narrates the flavors and origins of the Atlanta culinary...

When Anna Logan graduated, she never expected her future career would involve posing a duck for a kitchen shoot or outsmarting the weather to capture the perfect snowy home cover. As the senior homes and style editor at...

Matt Lindsay seeks to provide a new wave of revenue solutions to media publishers via innovative economic strategy. The founder and president of Mather Economics, he serves over 700 brands worldwide, including Hearst...

Debora Wenger knows the power of a fact check. As a Google News Initiative trainer, she collaborates with journalists to fight misinformation while supporting digital transformation. At the University of Mississippi...

Nicolle Praino began her career exploring stories beyond the surface to uncover the layers of her community. From Savannah’s WTOC to CNN’s The Row, Praino built a foundation in fact-driven, research-based narratives...

DeAnna Tisdale Johnson earned her master’s degree in vocal performance. Now, she uses her voice in a different way — to amplify her community’s stories and be the voice of Black Mississippians. The editor in chief and...