Sewell Chan Appointed Executive Editor of Columbia Journalism Review
Sewell Chan, editor-in-chief at The Texas Tribune, will join Columbia Journalism Review full time as the new Executive Editor, effective September 16, 2024.
With over two decades in key editorial positions at leading publications across the country, Chan’s commitment to integrity and innovative journalism aligns closely with CJR's mission — to be the intellectual leader in the rapidly changing world of journalism.
“Sewell Chan possesses a deep well of experience, incredible insights into the challenges confronting media at this moment and an abiding passion for journalism,” said Jelani Cobb, Dean and Henry R. Luce Professor of Journalism. “We could not be more excited about working with him as he charts a new course for Columbia Journalism Review.”
Most recently, Chan has led the newsroom of The Texas Tribune. Since he began in October 2021, the nonprofit publication shared a National Magazine Award and was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize — both firsts for the organization.
“Journalism faces challenges from all sides: technological disruption, changing business models, rising misinformation and threats to democracy,” Chan said. “Since 1961, Columbia Journalism Review has been vital to understanding journalism ethics and decision-making and the future of our craft. I believe CJR must be an essential voice for working journalists worldwide as they grapple with these challenges, while helping the public understand what journalists do and why it matters more than ever.”
Previously, Chan worked at the Los Angeles Times, first as a deputy managing editor and then the editorial page editor, where he oversaw coverage of criminal justice reform that was awarded a Pulitzer Prize for editorial writing in 2021.
I believe CJR must be an essential voice for working journalists worldwide as they grapple with these challenges, while helping the public understand what journalists do and why it matters more than ever.
From 2004 to 2018, Chan worked at the New York Times, as a metro reporter, Washington correspondent, deputy op-ed editor and international news editor. His career began in 2000 at the Washington Post, where he reported on local government among other beats. He has also written for the Wall Street Journal and the Philadelphia Inquirer.
Chan is a native New Yorker and grew up in an immigrant family. The first in his family to finish college, he graduated from Harvard with a degree in social studies. He studied at Oxford on a British Marshall scholarship, where he received a master’s degree in politics. Chan was elected to the board of the Pulitzer Prizes in 2022 and was a 2024 fellow in the Columbia Journalism School Sulzberger Executive Leadership Program. He joined the CJR board in 2021.
"The Columbia Journalism Review has a storied and important role in covering journalists and journalism. No one is better suited than Sewell to take CJR to new heights and audiences around the country and the world, in this challenging and crucial moment for the press," said Rebecca Blumenstein, chair of the CJR board and NBC News President, Editorial. “I know I join Dean Cobb and the entire CJR board in saying that we look forward to working with Sewell.”
Chan is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and PEN America. He serves on the boards of the Henry Luce Foundation, Freedom House, Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press and Harvard Magazine and on the national judging panel of the Livingston Awards.
About Columbia Journalism Review
Columbia Journalism Review was founded at the Journalism School in 1961, and publishes a biannual magazine that analyzes the news and media trends, acts as a watchdog for professional ethics and tells the stories behind news.
It is the most respected voice on press criticism, and it shapes the ideas that make media leaders and journalists smarter about their work. Through its fast-turn analysis and deep reporting, CJR is an essential venue not just for journalists, but also for the thousands of professionals in communications, technology, academia, and other fields reliant on solid media industry knowledge.
About Columbia Journalism School
For 112 years, the Columbia Journalism School has been preparing journalists in programs that stress academic rigor, ethics, journalistic inquiry and professional practice. Founded with a gift from Joseph Pulitzer, the school opened in 1912 and offers Master of Science and Master of Arts degrees, as well as a Master of Science in Data Journalism, a joint Master of Science degree in Computer Science and Journalism, The Knight-Bagehot Fellowship in Economics and Business Journalism and a Doctor of Philosophy in Communications. It is home to the Columbia Journalism Review, and several world-class research centers, including the Brown Institute for Media Innovation, The Tow Center for Digital Journalism, The Ira A. Lipman Center for Journalism and Civil and Human Rights, The Simon and June Li Center for Global Journalism, the Craig Newmark Center for Journalism Ethics and Security, and the Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma. The school also administers many of the leading journalism awards, including the Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Award, the Maria Moors Cabot Prize, the John Chancellor Award, the John B. Oakes Award for Distinguished Environmental Journalism, the Dart Awards for Excellence in Coverage of Trauma, Paul Tobenkin Memorial Award, the Mike Berger Awards and the WERT Prize for Women Business Journalists.
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