Veteran journalist John Yewell joins the award-winning staff of
the Hollister Free Lance this week as City Editor Marcus Hibdon
prepares to take the helm of the Morgan Hill Times
– a sister publication of San Benito County’s daily
newspaper.
Hollister – Veteran journalist John Yewell joins the award-winning staff of the Hollister Free Lance this week as City Editor Marcus Hibdon prepares to take the helm of the Morgan Hill Times – a sister publication of San Benito County’s daily newspaper.
Hibdon will leave the Free Lance to join the staff of the Morgan Hill Times in Morgan Hill as the editor. Yewell, who most recently hails from Salt Lake City, Utah, will assume the position of city editor.
“John’s wide-ranging experience at all levels of editing and reporting will bring a new perspective to our coverage of the communities we serve,” Free Lance Publisher Steve Staloch said. “His enthusiasm for our business is contagious and he’ll be a good fit at the Hollister Free Lance.”
Yewell brings 15 years of experience to his new post. He began his journalism career as a freelance writer in Minnesota. He worked at monthly, weekly and daily publications in St. Paul and Minneapolis for over eight years. In 1998, Yewell became the news editor at Metro Santa Cruz and most recently worked for weekly publications in North Carolina and Utah. Prior to moving to Hollister last week, Yewell was a columnist for the Salt Lake City Tribune.
“John is a seasoned journalist who has an obvious love for this profession,” Free Lance Editor Conan Knoll said. “He brings experience as well as a desire to do in-depth pieces about the area we live in. I’m excited to have John on board and look forward to continuing to create a lively paper for our readers.”
Though he’s only been in San Benito County for a few days, Yewell considers himself a Californian at heart and by heritage – his ancestors first arrived in the state in 1857.
“I’m very excited about being in San Benito County because there are so many things about this county that is a microcosm of California and the nation,” Yewell said. “San Benito reflects the political balance that exists in the country and the economic challenges most of the country faces. And, it’s a very unique location.”
Hibdon said while he will always remember his time at the Free Lance, he’s looking forward to his new responsibilities in Morgan Hill.
“I’ll certainly miss Hollister,” Hibdon said. “Though I’ve only been in the community for a short time, I’ve felt at home here almost since my first day. Working at the Free Lance has been the pinnacle of my journalism career and I’ll miss working on the important stories that define how this community is evolving. I’m thrilled about my new role, but I know I’ll tell stories about my days in Hollister for the rest of my career.”
While with the Free Lance, Hibdon helped the publication transition from an afternoon newspaper to a morning publication and assisted with redesigning the appearance of the paper in addition to his daily duties as the city editor.
“Marcus (Hibdon) has been an indispensable part of the team at the Hollister Free Lance as we improved the look of the paper and made it a morning publication,” Knoll said. “His hard work and dedication have played a large part in making the Free Lance a great community paper and it’s one of the key reasons we won a general excellence award from the California Newspaper Publisher’s Association.”
Hibdon will replace long-time Morgan Hill Editor Walt Glines who was promoted to director of circulation, sales and operations for the Free Lance, Gilroy Dispatch and Morgan Hill Times.
Staloch called Hibdon the “natural choice” for the job in Morgan Hill.
“He’s a serious journalist first and foremost,” Staloch said. “He has a passion for and understanding of community journalism. I also believe he’ll prove to be a strong leader in the community.”
