The American Society of News Editors and the Associated Press Media Editors joined forces in 2019. ASNE and APME is now NLA, the News Leaders Association. Previously both organizations have been newspaper focused, but together as NLA, the organization hopes to evolve to serve the media at large. “We want to serve broadcast, startups, nonprofits, for profit journalism, newspapers, and really stand up for journalism, and not just necessarily one segment of the industry,” said Nancy Barnes. The merger has been in the works for years with the idea that the organizations are stronger together. Barnes said with the merger, NLA hopes to be a more fierce advocate for journalism and journalism principles. The new organization still is evaluating what the mission will be, but training the next generation of leaders in America’s newsrooms is a definite according to Barnes. “It’s really an exciting moment to finally see it come together and to launch this new organization, even though we’re still a work in progress, so we’re all really excited to see this take off and for this moment,” Barnes said.
NLA Board Members:
Nancy Barnes is senior vice president of news and editorial director at National Public Radio. She has spent nearly 30 years as a reporter, editor and newsroom leader delivering award-winning journalism to the public. Prior to joining NPR, she developed the Houston Chronicle into a metro paper known for national caliber journalism with deep local roots. Under her leadership, the Chronicle won the Pulitzer Prize for Commentary in 2015 for columns about problems in the legal and immigration systems. The Chronicle also won a Polk award, the Selden Ring Award for Investigations, and was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in Public Service for a series on how Texas state officials denied tens of thousands of students access to special education services. And in 2018, it was a Pulitzer finalist for its coverage of Hurricane Harvey. Barnes got her start in journalism as a local general assignment reporter, then moved to the statehouse beat, and soon after to progressively more senior news management roles. During her tenure at the Chronicle, she has overseen all print and digital subscriber products and dozens of weekly newspapers, as well as the creation of new products to develop new audiences, including specialty publications, topical newsletters and podcasts. Previously, she served as executive editor at the Minneapolis Star Tribune Media Company, where she directed award-winning journalism that led to the Pulitzer Prize for local news in 2013, Gerald Loeb Awards for business reporting, Edward R. Murrow award for general excellence, Silver Gavel for newspapers, regional Emmys, and other recognitions. Barnes has a master’s degree in business administration from the Kenan-Flagler Business School, University of North Carolina and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Virginia. She is the president of the American Society of News Editors, co-president of the emergent News Leaders Association, and a member of the Pulitzer Prize Board, Columbia University.
Mark Baldwin was appointed executive editor of the Rockford Register Star in 2012 after previously working for news organizations in Wisconsin, Kansas, Chicago and Washington D.C. He is a member of the executive committee of the Associated Press Media Editors and was named GateHouse Media Editor of the Year in 2017. He speaks frequently on the topic of news literacy and was a founder of 815 Choose Civility, a project that advocates for and teaches civility as an antidote to dysfunction in public life. A native of Chicago, he holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Northwestern University — though he likes to point out that he was a student there long before the Wildcats became a football power.
Alison Gerber is editor of the Chattanooga Times Free Press. She joined the Chattanooga Times Free Press in 2003 and has served as assistant metro editor, metro editor and managing editor before becoming editor in 2011. Prior to joining the Times Free Press, Gerber was a reporter in Florida, where she covered sports, city hall and education at the Naples Daily News and the Fort Myers News-Press. Under Gerber’s leadership, the Chattanooga Times Free Press has been awarded Tennessee’s top journalism prize — the Tennessee Press Association’s General Excellence award — five times in the past six years and has been a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize three times since 2013. Gerber joined the Associated Press Media Editors board in 2016 and served as its treasurer before the creation of the News Leaders Association. Gerber also serves on the boards of the Tennessee Coalition for Open Government and the American Society of News Editors Foundation.
Manny Garcia is Sr. Director for Standards & Ethics for the USA TODAY NETWORK. He has previously served in senior leadership roles with Gannett, including oversight of 50-plus newsrooms. Manny also is former Editor of the Naples Daily News, el Nuevo Herald in Miami and Senior News Editor of The Miami Herald. Manny is a longtime investigative journalist whose work has focused on the criminal justice system and public corruption. Investigative projects by Manny and his teams have won prizes, including the Pulitzer, Goldsmith, IRE and a national Edward R. Murrow Award. Their work has exposed sex trafficking rings in the Caribbean, led to the convictions of public officials, the ouster of a congressman, changed Florida law and helped free a man wrongfully convicted of murder. Manny is a champion for diversity, focusing on recruiting, mentoring and developing future news leaders. Last September, he received the Robert G. McGruder Award for Diversity Leadership, a career highlight. He currently serves on the boards of The Reporter’s Committee for Freedom of the Press and News Leaders Association. Manny also is past-president of Investigative Reporters & Editors. He is a graduate of Florida International University and Miami-Dade College.
Angie Muhs has served as president of Associated Press Media Editors since September 2018. She served as executive editor of the State Journal-Register until May 2019. During her tenure, the SJ-R was twice named Newspaper of the Year in the Best of GateHouse awards, and Muhs was named Editor of the Year. Before coming to Springfield, she worked as an editor and reporter at the Portland Press Herald, The (Columbia, S.C.) State, the Lexington Herald-Leader and the Miami Herald. She twice served on juries for the Pulitzer Prize and received several national and state awards in her career. She now works as manager of communications for Memorial Health System, a nonprofit health group with four hospitals in the central Illinois area. She is a graduate of Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism.
Robyn Tomlin is the Southeast Regional Editor | Executive Editor at the News & Observer at McClatchy in the Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina Area. She has more than 15 years of experience leading digital and print news organizations. She’s a skilled strategist focused on audience growth and transforming internal culture. Tomlin earned her BA in Journalism and Mass Communication from the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill. She previously worked for the New York Times as the director of content innovation and is a former lecturer at Georgetown University, where she taught “Digital Essentials for Journalism.” Tomlin also previously worked for the Pew Research Center as the digital and communications vice president and chief digital officer. She’s been invited to speak and/or teach digital innovation at industry events, companies and universities across the U.S. and Europe.
George Stanley is editor of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and regional editor of USA TODAY Network Wisconsin. He has been editor of the Journal Sentinel since 2015 and managing editor since 1997. He built the Journal Sentinel’s process for in-depth reporting and its investigative team. From 1993 to 1997, he was business editor. He joined the Sentinel in 1989 as a reporter covering statewide issues, including conservation, the environment, agriculture, natural resources. Stanley grew up in Green Bay, graduated from the University of Wisconsin, and also covered the outdoors and conservation for the Wichita Eagle and Ducks Unlimited magazine. He is vice president of the national News Leaders Association.
Michael Days is The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion. He had served as Vice President and Editor for Reader Engagement. For more than 10 years he was the Editor of the Philadelphia Daily News. Under his leadership, the Daily News won numerous national, state and local awards, including the Pulitzer Prize for investigative reporting in 2010. He also has served as managing editor of The Philadelphia Inquirer. Days has worked at The Wall Street Journal, the Louisville (Kentucky) Courier-Journal, and the Democrat & Chronicle in Rochester, N.Y. He started his professional career with a year-long internship at The Minneapolis Tribune.
He is vice president of the national board of the Associated Press Media Editors, and is the former editor of its quarterly magazine, APME NEWS. In September he will become the president of the News Leaders Association, a merger of the APME and the American Society of News Editors. He is a member of the National Association of Black Journalists, and a former regional director of NABJ.
Days serves on the board of visitors at Temple University’s Klein College of Communication and Media and has served as a juror for the Pulitzer Prizes. He has been honored twice by the Philadelphia Association of Black Journalists, receiving the President’s Award and the Trailblazer Award. He also was honored with the Lillian Award, for outstanding service to journalism, from the Delta Sigma Theta sorority. Days received the Robert McGruder Award for Diversity Leadership from the Associated Press Media Editors in 2014. In 2016, he was selected as one of 125 persons of distinction by his alma mater, Roman Catholic High School in Philadelphia, on its 125th anniversary. In 2017, he was inducted into the National Association of Black Journalists Hall of Fame.
He is a graduate of the College of the Holy Cross and earned a master’s degree from the University of Missouri School of Journalism. His first book, Obama’s Legacy: What He Accomplished as President, was published in September 2016.
Mary Eber is a senior at Ball State, majoring in Journalism and Telecommunications. She graduates in December 2019 and can be reached at maryebernews@gmail.com
News Leaders 2019 