By Kris Leonhardt
MMC STAFF
GREEN BAY – Multi Media Channels (MMC) Local News Initiatives Advisor George Stanley has been named President of the Wisconsin Newspaper Association (WNA).
Stanley was elected as President at the WNA’s annual meeting in March and was presented with the gavel at the WNA Board of Directors meeting on July 21, 2023, in Madison.
“Since before Wisconsin became a state, local newspapers have helped bind and build our communities. Through WNA, we’re working together in these challenging times to sustain and support local news outlets that inform our democracy and nurture healthy, active community life. It’s a great thing to be a part of,” Stanley said.
In his role with MMC, Stanley works with the Pass it Forward internship program, as well as other company initiatives, to nurture a healthy community journalism environment in the state.
He is also the project manager for the State of Local News 2023, an effort of the Local News Initiative at Northwestern University, as well as a past President of the News Leaders Association.
Stanley stepped down as Editor of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and Regional Editor for the USA TODAY Network in January 2023.
He led the Journal Sentinel newsroom as Editor since 2015 and Managing Editor since 1997.
The newspaper’s work won national awards for reporting on health, business, education, justice, politics, sports, and the environment, including 10 Pulitzer finalists and three Pulitzer Prize winners.
Stanley has participated in several national programs aimed at finding a sound future for local news, including the Table Stakes News Transformation program run by the American Press Institute, Lenfest Foundation, and Temple University.
Stanley helped found the O’Brien Public Service Fellowship program at Marquette University’s journalism school, which is fully endowed by a $10 million donation.
In this program, experienced journalists spend an academic year working on a major public service journalism project that they then bring back to their newsrooms.
“George brings with him a wealth of experience and ethical practices that will benefit the association and its membership. We are fortunate to have a man of his caliber to lead the association and continue to guide local journalism,” said MMC CEO Patrick Wood.
Dave Wood, who serves as General Manager for several MMC publications, also serves on the WNA Board of Directors.
MMC is the publishing company for the Merrill Foto News and a number of other newspapers in Wisconsin focused on publishing hyper local news for their areas.