Veteran newspaper executive and editor Shane Fitzgerald has been named as the Bucks County Herald’s new editor-in-chief, Publisher Joseph Wingert announced. He will start on Sept. 1.
“After a national search we were thrilled to land on an editor of Shane’s caliber,” Wingert said. “In addition to his stellar journalism credentials, Shane brings a deep knowledge of the Bucks County region that will help to ensure continuity and growth.”
Bridget A. Wingert, who has served as the Herald’s founder and editor since 2002, will remain in her role as president of the Bucks County Herald Foundation, overseeing fundraising efforts that began when the newspaper gained nonprofit status in 2020.
Fitzgerald, a resident of Lower Makefield, will oversee editorial operations for the Herald’s print and digital news services covering nearly 30 municipalities and seven school districts throughout Bucks County and parts of Hunterdon County, New Jersey.
Fitzgerald is no stranger to Bucks County. He served as the executive editor of the Bucks County Courier Times and The Intelligencer from June 2015 through March 2022, leading those papers to numerous state and regional journalism awards. Since March, he has led a Gannett initiative to implement best digital and print planning practices throughout the company’s 250-plus daily and weekly publications.
He previously has been the top editor at Burlington County (New Jersey) Times, the Beaver County Times and the Corpus Christi (Texas) Caller-Times. He also spent 15 years in sports, systems and news roles at the Rocky Mountain News in Denver, after starting his career as the sports editor and education reporter for the Livingston (Montana) Enterprise. He holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Colorado, Boulder.
Fitzgerald has been a longtime advocate for open records and open government and has testified on open government issues in front of state legislative committees several times in Texas and Pennsylvania.
“I’m humbled to accept this position,” Fitzgerald said. “Bridget Wingert is a legend in Bucks County journalism and in the community. I’m so fortunate to find myself in the position that is set up for success in a time when local journalism matters more than ever.”
While best known for its robust free weekly newspaper published on Thursdays, the Herald also publishes online news, newsletter and niche special sections.
In the past two years, the award-winning paper has become a model for nonprofit news having received extraordinary financial support from readers, local businesses, foundations and community organizations.
“As we prepare to celebrate our 20th anniversary this fall, on the heels of our recent move from Lahaska to our county seat of Doylestown, we are continuing to buck the trends and grow. Shane will help us to stay on this positive trajectory. It’s an exciting time to be in local journalism, particularly in a place as special as Bucks County,” said Joe Wingert.
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