The Atlanta Journal-Constitution has named its first Black editor-in-chief in the paper’s 155-year history.
Driving the news: Current leader Kevin Riley announced his retirement yesterday, and the paper has named managing editor Leroy Chapman, Jr. as Riley’s successor.
- Riley will become an editor-at-large after 12 years at the helm of the AJC—the longest tenure for a current lead editor of any major metropolitan paper.
Catch up quick: Chapman has been with the paper since 2011 and in journalism for nearly three decades. The Navy veteran came to Atlanta from The State newspaper in South Carolina where he worked as governance editor.
What they’re saying: “The AJC should stand on the side of what is right,” Chapman told AJC reporter Michael Kannell, “That’s how history is going to judge us.”
The big picture: Of his history-making role Chapman said: ”My family traces its history back to Colonial times.”
- “There is an arc from seeing my family on census reports listed as property all the way to this. It is a fantastic American story.”
Editor’s note: Axios and the AJC are both owned by Cox Enterprises.
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