Matthew Watkins named Texas Tribune’s subsequent editor-in-chief, succeeding Sewell Chan

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I’ve obtained huge information to share: Matthew Watkins, a longtime staffer and veteran of Texas journalism, will take the reins as The Texas Tribune’s subsequent editor in chief on Sept. 9. He’ll succeed Sewell Chan, who’s returning to his hometown of New York Metropolis to function the manager editor of Columbia Journalism Evaluation.

Matthew, at present our managing editor of stories and politics, is the right chief for the Tribune’s subsequent chapter. He has earned the belief of our journalists, in addition to his colleagues throughout the group, and understands the tales that matter most to Texans.

Matthew is a Texas native, born in Houston and raised in Austin. He attended public colleges and graduated from Texas A&M College. He’s labored in Texas journalism his total profession, first at The Eagle in Bryan-School Station after which at The Dallas Morning Information.

Matthew’s greater than 9 years on the Tribune coincide with the large progress and evolution of the group. He joined the newsroom in 2015 as a better training reporter. He then grew to become the newsroom’s first breaking information editor, constructing out a group designed to extend the urgency of our information protection. In 2019, he grew to become politics editor, working so as to add extra accountability and explanatory reporting to one among our core topic areas, and was promoted to managing editor for information and politics.

In recent times, Matthew has helped information our protection of the pandemic, the overturning of Roe v. Wade, the impeachment and trial of our state’s lawyer common, plus a number of election cycles and legislative periods. Lately he has been main on key initiatives, together with We the Texans, our yearlong examination of the state of democracy in Texas, and our present partnership with FRONTLINE, via which we’re inspecting immigration and politics alongside the Texas-Mexico border.

This can be a pure transition for the Tribune, and Matthew will inherit a newsroom made higher by Sewell’s management. Within the three years he is been on the Tribune, Sewell has raised our degree of journalistic high quality, rigor and ambition. He employed award-winning journalists, constructed out our picture group, and rebooted our premium politics publication, The Blast. He launched our regional reporting initiative, offering protection of areas of Texas which can be severely underserved. He recruited dynamic new leaders for our regional, viewers and occasions groups and for fellowships, coaching and profession improvement. He led our protection of the 2022 Uvalde tragedy, for which the Tribune shared a Nationwide Journal Award and the Collier Prize for State Authorities Accountability and was a finalist for a Pulitzer Prize, all for the primary time.

Throughout Sewell’s tenure, the Tribune’s newsroom has turn out to be extra consultant of our various state. Sewell has additionally been a robust voice for journalism, mirrored in his choice in 2022 to hitch the board of the Pulitzer Prizes. He has championed our dedication to our nonpartisan mission and to equity, accuracy and context in our reporting. Lastly, he has been a useful associate as we now have labored to place the Tribune on a extra sustainable footing and domesticate the following era of management. I’m grateful for Sewell’s service and may’t wait to see what he does at Columbia Journalism Evaluation to chronicle journalism’s evolving mission throughout this essential interval for American democracy.

As you all know, it is a pivotal time for journalism. To succeed, we should proceed to enhance the attain of our journalism in order that it engages Texans, informs them and holds their authorities accountable. Our work have to be truthful, correct and approachable. We have to be relentlessly centered on being related to the lives of our state’s various inhabitants. And we should keep forward of adjustments in know-how that have an effect on how folks get their information. I sit up for working with Matthew, together with the remainder of our group’s proficient leaders, on this and different necessary work.

Matthew begins proper after our Texas Tribune Pageant, Sept. 5-7 in downtown Austin.

Please be part of me in thanking Sewell for his service to Texas and the Tribune, and welcoming Matthew to his new function!

Simply in: Former U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyoming; U.S. Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pennsylvania; and Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt will take the stage at The Texas Tribune Pageant, Sept. 5–7 in downtown Austin. Purchase tickets right now!