Newly hired associate publisher and executive editor of the
Hollister Free Lance, Mike Fitzgerald, began work Monday at the
130-year-old newspaper.
Newly hired associate publisher and executive editor of the Hollister Free Lance, Mike Fitzgerald, began work Monday at the 130-year-old newspaper.
Fitzgerald, 48, comes from his most recent post as managing editor of The Daily Herald in Provo, Utah. He will hold leadership duties on both the editorial and advertising sides of the Free Lance. Publisher Bill Barry will maintain an overall leadership capacity at the newspaper.
Fitzgerald has won more than 50 awards for writing, special sections and page design in his 26 years of journalism experience. He said he will immediately strive to learn more about San Benito County.
“A fun part of this job is to get out and meet people,” he said, “not just the civic leaders, but my neighbors, the people concerned about different issues, the people who are making this the terrific community that it is.”
Fitzgerald, who was born in Chicago, earned a bachelor’s degree in English-creative writing and a minor in journalism in 1977 from Southern Illinois University. His background also includes sports editor positions at the Las Vegas Sun, Honolulu Star-Bulletin and Columbia (Mo.) Tribune. And while at The Daily Herald in Utah, “We comprehensively covered the (2002) Winter Olympics,” he said.
Fitzgerald has also worked at the Albuquerque Journal, the Gainesville (Fla.) Sun and the Daily Sun Post in San Clemente, Calif.
“Mike has a great depth of community daily newspaper experience,” Barry said. “He also likes to be involved and interactive with the readers and community, and he is the right choice for our renewed commitment to further expanding our coverage and content.”
The Free Lance has won numerous awards from the California Newspaper Publishers Association, including first place for General Excellence in 2002. It is part of Pacific Sierra Publishing, which includes the Gilroy Dispatch, Morgan Hill Times, Los Banos Enterprise and Santa Cruz Good Times.
Fitzgerald said he is excited to work for a community newspaper.
“The newspaper isn’t ours,” he said. “It’s not the company’s. It’s the people of Hollister’s.
“My goal is a simple one: To help put out a daily hometown newspaper that the readers and advertisers will be proud of.”
