Aki Soga named new executive editor of Burlington Free Press
Dan D'AmbrosioLongtime Burlington Free Press editor and reporter Aki Soga has been named the new editor of the paper following an extensive search, according to the regional editor of Gannett New England.
Lisa Strattan announced Soga's promotion in a meeting with Free Press staff on Thursday morning. Former Executive Editor Emilie Stigliani left in February to join the Sacramento Bee. Soga will report directly to Strattan, who said he is "the right fit for the staff and the community."
"We're at a unique juncture when we're trying to emerge from the pandemic and get back into the community in earnest," Strattan said. "Aki, having been engagement editor in the past, is in the best position to remind greater Burlington, and all of Vermont, of the standing of the Free Press. He's the right choice from that point of view and others. He certainly has the journalistic chops."
Soga joined the Free Press in 1991 and served as a reporter on the features and business desks and as business editor. He ran the opinion section for the Free Press from 2006 to 2018, and was a finalist for the 2012 Pulitzer Prize for his editorials on open government. His work was recognized with Scripps Howard National Journalism Awards for the First Amendment (winner, 2010, finalist 2008), Society of Professional Journalists First Amendment Award (2011) and the Associated Press Media Editors First Amendment Award (2011).
Time to step up
Soga said Thursday he felt it was time in his life and career to "step up" for the top editor position at the Free Press. He was one of two editors working directly with Free Press reporters, the other being April McCullum, while the search for a new executive editor was conducted.
"I felt there were things I could do for the newsroom and the readers, based on my experience," he said. "I enjoy working with reporters, and I'll continue to do that, but I was ready for a change, to take control of the newsroom."
Soga acknowledged the Free Press has suffered setbacks in staffing and readership, but said he was determined to build on the paper's efforts to offer an in-depth perspective on the news.
"We want to make sure we offer a complete picture and context for the news, and get below the surface of events," Soga said. "If we can't convince readers a piece of news matters to them, they're not going to read it."
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The Free Press is fortunate, Soga said, to be in an active news market with weeklies and online news competitors, as well as public media.
"That's actually great," he said. "Most communities would kill for that. We're not a news desert. I want the Free Press to be part of the conversation."
Before coming to the Free Press, Soga worked as a reporter for the Asahi Evening News and as a correspondent for Knight Ridder Financial News, both in Tokyo. He also served in the Peace Corps in Sierra Leone. Soga was vice president for print for the Asian American Journalists Association, as well as Unity Journalists of Color vice president. He will be the first Japanese-American to lead the Free Press.
"I expect him to be a real hands-on editor, helping everyone to grow," Strattan said. "I'm really excited for the future of the Free Press."
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Contact Dan D’Ambrosio at 802-660-1841 or ddambrosio@freepressmedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @DanDambrosioVT. This coverage is only possible with support from our readers.