Emilio Garcia-Ruiz named San Francisco Chronicle editor in chief

“The San Francisco Chronicle’s 155-year-old legacy is one of hard-hitting journalism, compelling storytelling and critical frontline reporting for the communities that trust and depend on it,” Garcia-Ruiz said in a statement. “I am honored to lead the talented newsroom team and excited to further our mission and commitment to quality news.”

Garcia-Ruiz’s appointment comes as Chronicle journalists have won a string of awards for their digital, visual and investigative work and as moves to sign up more digital subscribers have shown substantial progress.

“We’re excited for Emilio to join Northern California’s largest and most accomplished newsroom,” said Bill Nagel, publisher of The Chronicle. “His dedication to rigorous journalism will be invaluable to the Chronicle as we build on our growing audience base.”

Garcia-Ruiz joined the Washington Post as a night copy editor in 1987. He left in 1990 for positions at the Orange County Register, Los Angeles Times and St. Paul Pioneer Press. As the Pioneer Press’ sports editor, he led an investigation of academic fraud in the men’s basketball program at the University of Minnesota for which the publication won a Pulitzer Prize.

He returned to the Post in 2001 as an assistant sports editor. In 2008, he became local editor, overseeing the integration of print and digital reporting teams. He then served as editor for strategic projects, with a digital focus, before his promotion to managing editor for digital in 2013.

“Emilio has an impressive track record of innovation and producing great journalism on all platforms,” Hearst Newspapers President Jeff Johnson said in a statement. “As we continue to develop our digital and video strategies, his experience and leadership will greatly benefit the Chronicle and the communities we serve.”

At a 2018 conference organized by the Global Editors Network, Garcia-Ruiz spoke about the Post’s digital transformation, outlining a series of steps traditional publications should take in embracing online audiences.

“With every step, new skills will be needed. You will have to reorganize and open a series of new positions,” he told the audience.

Garcia-Ruiz expressed optimism about the news business in a recent interview with the Press Gazette, a British media trade publication.

“I always tell people there has never been a better time to be a journalist, simply because of the scale of the story right now,” he said.

Garcia-Ruiz succeeds Audrey Cooper, The Chronicle’s first female editor, in the role. Cooper left The Chronicle in June to join public broadcaster WNYC in New York City as its editor in chief.

Garcia-Ruiz is a native of Washington and a graduate of the University of Maryland. He serves on the boards of the News Leaders Association and the Inter American Press Association and the board of visitors at the John S. Knight Fellowships at Stanford University.