Rene Sanchez, a veteran journalist who has served as second in command of the Star Tribune newsroom for nearly six years, was named the newspaper's new top editor Tuesday.
Sanchez, 48, said he is honored and grateful for the opportunity to lead the newsroom of the nation's 12th-largest daily newspaper. Beginning Friday, he will take over the job of editor and senior vice president from Nancy Barnes, who was named editor in 2007 and is departing to become editor and executive vice president of news at the Houston Chronicle.
At an afternoon meeting to announce the selection, Star Tribune Publisher Mike Klingensmith called Sanchez "a great journalist" and said choosing him was "an endorsement of the course that we've been on here in recent years."
Sanchez told the newsroom staff that as the paper continues to strive toward digital innovation, it will be important to "stay committed to the core calling that I think any newsroom still needs to have … to go as hard as we can at the full truth of issues that really matter in the lives of your neighbor and mine, to first and foremost work in the public interest, to bear witness to the best and to the worst that life brings our community."
He added that he expects no radical changes and wants to build on the legacy of his predecessor. He and Barnes worked closely to lead the newsroom through tumultuous times in recent years, including staff reductions, the newspaper's trip through Chapter 11 bankruptcy and new emphasis in delivering news digitally via the Internet, social media and mobile apps.
The staff of about 250 full-time journalists has won numerous national prizes recently, including the 2013 Pulitzer Prize for local reporting on day-care deaths.
"We're on a good course," Sanchez said later, adding that he expects to continue to emphasize watchdog and in-depth journalism as well as more adventurous storytelling. He said he also hopes to increase coverage of stories reflecting good work that people are doing in the community.
He said he will begin the search for a managing editor next week.