Shelly Conlon, a reporter and editor on the Sioux Falls Argus Chief since 2018, has been promoted to data director, the very best newsroom chief.
Conlon most currently was the newspaper’s watchdog editor, overseeing coaching and authorities beats and completely different safety that holds officers accountable to most of the people. Earlier to that, she served for 2½ years as a result of the Argus Chief’s statewide coaching reporter.
Conlon steps into the place as a result of the second woman to steer the newsroom and is one amongst its youngest excessive editors as successfully. She succeeded former data director Cory Myers, who served inside the place virtually seven years and left in November to grow to be an govt on the Up to date Produce selling firm.
“In a tumultuous commerce the place data employees all through the nation are shrinking, I’m excited to lean into the issue of sustaining trusted data safety from South Dakota’s largest newsroom,” Conlon talked about. “I cannot wait to begin out 2023 sturdy with colleagues dedicated to elevating the frequently voices in our varied and rising group.”
As watchdog editor, she led an initiative known as “100 Eyes on South Dakota,” which has involved reporters from all through the Argus Chief newsroom in producing high-impact investigative journalism.
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She has moreover helped develop the newsroom’s “Views” problem, in the hunt for out an array of Black, Indigenous and completely different voices from people of shade to enrich public dialog on group factors.
Conlon started on the Argus Chief as its statewide coaching reporter. Her seven-part assortment on South Dakota’s failures in educating children who’re deaf or onerous of listening to spurred modifications in state regulation and earned nationwide recognition. She moreover revealed a fake faculty in Sioux Falls, which led to a federal investigation that ended the viability of a nationwide school accreditation agency.
“Since changing into a member of the Argus Chief 4½ years previously, Shelly has immersed herself in finding out regarding the people of bigger Sioux Falls and South Dakota and the issues they confront,” talked about Carol Hunter, editor of the Des Moines Register and a supervisor of newspapers inside the Plains Space of Gannett Co. Inc., the Argus Chief’s mum or dad agency. “Shelly will proceed the Argus Chief’s proud customized of appropriate, dependable data safety and investigative journalism that makes a distinction inside the lives of South Dakotans.”
Conlon talked about she plans to take care of guiding a bunch dedicated to:
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Serving to readers understand how authorities selections match into broader social factors.
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Analyzing how enterprise expansions and completely different developments affect the city’s growth and progress.
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Sustaining households and residents up to date on what they’ll see and do this’s distinctive to the Sioux Falls area.
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Providing quick updates on most important public safety issues or breaking data to keep up Sioux Falls households educated.
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Persevering with to defend most of the people’s correct to know and the First Modification.
“Whereas our data employees is smaller than it as quickly as was, we’re dedicated to listening to the group and providing safety of the knowledge and factors South Dakotans care about most,” Conlon talked about.
Conlon is a 2013 graduate of the School of Texas at Arlington and held a lot of roles, along with editor in chief, of its scholar newspaper, The Shorthorn. She started her journalism occupation as an educational and breaking data reporter on the Waxahachie Every day Delicate in Texas, the place she was promoted to digital data editor and later managing editor. In 2016, she turned the coaching reporter on the Waco Tribune-Herald, considered one of many excessive 10 every day newspapers in Texas.
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Conlon normally helps scholar {{and professional}} journalists in South Dakota and nationally, by the use of mentoring and as a frequent determine for journalism competitions.
She lives in Canton alongside together with her husband, Justin, who works in regulation enforcement, and their 4-year-old daughter.
“My family and I chosen South Dakota almost 5 years previously, to be nearer to members of the family and mates we now have acknowledged for better than 15 years,” Conlon talked about. “And sooner than that switch from Texas to Sioux Falls, we made annual visits, solely to depart with the question of ‘How will we get once more proper right here additional fully?’ Now we now have roots proper right here, we now have invested proper right here, and I like that I can proceed to call South Dakota residence.”
This textual content initially appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Chief: Shelly Conlon appointed as data director for Sioux Falls Argus Chief