Public Journalist Named Charlotte Observer Editor
Rick Thames
This from the Charlotte (NC) Observer:
Rick Thames, a native North Carolinian who worked for eight years in editing roles at The Charlotte Observer, was named editor of the paper Monday.
After serving since 1997 as editor of The Wichita Eagle in Kansas, Thames replaces Jennie Buckner…
It is a move up for Thames within the Knight-Ridder chain. The Observer article adds:
In Thames’ previous roles at the Observer — including government editor, city editor, assistant managing editor and public editor — he earned a reputation for championing breaking news, being detail-oriented and knowing what readers wanted to see. He helped lead two projects that made the Observer a pioneer in civic journalism, which helps citizens become involved.
One series, “Taking Back Our Neighborhoods,” became a Pulitzer Prize finalist. The project profiled neighborhoods struggling against violence and explored solutions in which the entire community can play a role.
The other, “Your Voice, Your Vote,” reshaped the paper’s election coverage, making it more reader-focused. In partnership with the Poynter Institute for Media Studies in St. Petersburg, Fla., the Observer used polling, in-depth interviews and focus groups to involve the public in helping to define the important election issues.
The project changed the way newspapers cover elections, forcing them to check in with readers more frequently, said Edward Miller, a newspaper consultant who was a Poynter associate at the time. It also showed readers that Thames is “willing to care what they think,” Miller said. “This is not an ivory tower editor.”
