Virginia Black named editor of Lafayette, Muncie and Richmond newspapers
LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Virginia Black, the news adviser at the Purdue Exponent and former assistant managing editor at The South Bend Tribune, will lead the news operations as the editor at the Lafayette Journal & Courier, The Star Press in Muncie and The Palladium-Item in Richmond.
Black’s roots as a journalist run deep in the Greater Lafayette area.
As a student at Purdue University, she found her passion for the news industry and community services while she was an Exponent reporter.
After graduating from Purdue, Black worked at various Indiana newspapers, including The South Bend Tribune, where she had a successful 23-year-long career. During her time there, she earned a multitude of story of the year awards, the Ray Moscowitz Award in 2012, the Kent Cooper Award in 2013 and many more.
In 2017, Black had the opportunity to return to the Greater Lafayette area as the Purdue Exponent’s news adviser, and over the last seven years, she helped cultivate the next generation of Exponent reporters and helped grow the student’s newspaper.
“Watching (the students) get excited about the work they do has kind of re-inspired me to practice my own journalism more directly again,” Black said. “When this (position) came open, I thought well, I’ve been back in this community for several years. I have a house here. I have friends here. I go to church here. Maybe this is something I should look at.”
As editor, Black hopes to help rebuild the close bonds that the Journal & Courier, the Star Press and the Palladium-Item once held with their communities. She hopes to do this by giving these communities important and impactful journalism.
"We're excited that Virginia will lead our papers in Lafayette, Richmond and Muncie, and foster relationships with our readers in those communities," said Ismail Turay Jr., Gannett's Midwest Group editor for Center for Community Journalism.
"She has extensive journalism experience, and she and her team of reporters will tackle important issues that directly impact our readers and their communities — a core mission of the Center for Community Journalism," Turay said. "We have a great team of reporters, and I know Virginia will build on the legacy of excellent journalism in those newsrooms."
Black will start in her new position on June 3, and will be based in Lafayette.
“I want all three papers to offer coverage that people aren’t going to see anywhere else. In other media, TV or other online news sites," Black said. “I would encourage readers to let us know what’s going on because, in my experience, the most meaningful work that we do, quite often, starts with someone in the community letting us know because we can’t be everywhere all at once.”
Although Black has former experience as an assistant managing editor, she understands that being the editor of three newspapers is a large responsibility, but hopes to meet the expectations of the readers.
“I know more about Lafayette than I do Muncie or Richmond, but I still own my family farmhouse over in Hancock County, which isn’t far from Richmond and Muncie," she said. "I’ve got my work cut out for me to get caught up, getting to know some people in both of those communities, too, and keep up with issues going on over there,”
“It’s going to be a learning curve. There’s no question and figuring out how to balance that, but I think it’s doable and that’s the goal,” she said.
Black hopes that during her time as editor, whenever a person has a story that needs to be told, they will feel comfortable in reaching out to their local newspaper.
This article originally appeared on Lafayette Journal & Courier: New editor named for Lafayette, Muncie and Richmond newspapers
