Lauren Walck named executive editor of the Bradenton Herald
Lauren Walck has been named executive editor of the Bradenton Herald, starting Oct. 25.
Walck, 35, comes to the Bradenton Herald after serving as senior editor for the Sun Herald newspaper on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Both newspapers are owned by McClatchy.
At the Sun Herald, she led the transformation of the newsroom into a digital-first operation. She has a background in design and visuals, writing and editing, as well as social media and analytics, and has served in nearly every role in the newsroom over the past 10 years.
“I would like to get to know the newsroom and the community. I am very passionate about journalism and the role it plays in the community, and want to make sure it is sustainable for the future,” Walck said Wednesday after her appointment was announced to the Herald staff.
Monica Richardson, McClatchy’s Florida regional editor and executive editor of the Miami Herald and el Nuevo Herald, and Miami Herald President Nancy Meyer jointly announced Walck’s appointment in a virtual meeting with Bradenton Herald staff.
“Bradenton is a special community and one that deserves a strong leader at the helm of the Bradenton Herald,” Richardson said. “Lauren has a proven track record as an advocate for excellent local journalism and she understands the essential role that journalism plays in lifting our communities. The Bradenton Herald remains committed to providing strong news coverage under her direction.”
Meyer added, “We are thrilled to welcome Lauren to the Bradenton Herald. Her commitment to top-notch journalism and knowledge of reaching and expanding audiences will benefit our readers and the Bradenton community. “
A native of Mobile, Alabama, Walck is a graduate of Louisiana State University’s Manship School of Mass Communications, and worked with Gannett newspapers in Louisiana before joining McClatchy.
At the Sun Herald, she has been the lead editor on award-winning investigative projects, including two that won McClatchy President’s Awards and most recently top honors at the Mississippi Press Association 2021 awards: the Bill Minor Prize for Investigative Journalism, Daniel M. Phillips Freedom of Information Award, and a Community Service Award.
In 2019, she was named to Editor & Publisher’s prestigious Top 25 Under 35 list.
As a member of the Local Media Association’s Journalism Funding Lab, Walck helped lead fundraising efforts to boost coverage of COVID-19 vaccines, an important issue identified by community leaders.
Walck helped lead change to improve the diversity of the Sun Herald’s coverage, including an award-winning series on Black, Vietnamese and other minority voices.
She also helped change the Sun Herald’s crime coverage to better reflect Gulf Coast communities, and to end mugshot galleries that unfairly stigmatized persons charged but not convicted of a crime.
As a believer in collaboration, Walck has led many inter-departmental design thinking sessions. She is a certified trainer for The PowerShift Project’s Workplace Integrity Training, and is a graduate of the American Society of News Editors Emerging Leaders Institute.
With family ties to several areas of Florida, Walck said she is excited to get to know a new area of the Gulf Coast and its people.
She is passionate about making local journalism sustainable for the future, and loves discovering all things arts and culture: live music, restaurants and recipes, trivia, art galleries and audio books.
She will be moving to Florida with her cat, Clementine, and, eventually, her partner, William Burdette, who works in communications and marketing at Tulane University.
This story was originally published October 6, 2021 at 3:52 PM.
