OJR: The Online Journalism Review

Randy Wright

Provo, Utah

Homepage: http://www.heraldextra.com

Currently Executive Editor, Daily Herald, Provo, Utah.

Wright entered journalism in 1978 as a reporter at a weekly newspaper group in central Utah. Advanced to weekly editorial writer, then was named managing editor. He has worked at 10 newspapers around the West, both large and small.

In Utah, he worked as a reporter and copy editor at the Ogden Standard-Examiner before being named managing editor of the Sun-Advocate, a twice weekly owned by the same company. Moving to California in 1983, he managed the sports desk at the Bakersfield Californian and held a similar position at the Modesto Bee. He then joined the Press Democrat in Santa Rosa as design director in 1986. Participated in a number of consulting projects, rethinking the content and presentation of New York Times regional newspapers in Florida and California. Assistant managing editor at the San Diego Union-Tribune for seven years, among other things leading the redesign that accompanied the merger of Copley's morning Union and evening Tribune. He also served as assistant managing editor at the Arizona Daily Star in Tucson. He has consulted on content and design at a dozen newspapers and has led a number of redesign efforts.

Wright has received numerous awards for news presentation from the Society for News Design, including two Silvers (one for 9/11), one Bronze and many Awards of Excellence. He shared in the Pew Center's Batten Award for civic journalism in 1998 at the Idaho Statesman.

Current projects at the Daily Herald include the creation of a Herald TV news channel and development of online and video initiatives that reshape how reporters and editors work.

Through the years Wright has continued editorial writing, with numerous awards including first place in 2004-05 in the SPJ Utah Headliner's contest and a sweep of first, second and third in the 2005-06 contest. He was an invited speaker at various national professional conferences including the National Newspaper Association, California Society of Newspaper Editors and Society for News Design. He is a member of the American Society of Newspaper Editors.

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