Stanley, George

Aspirations for ASNE

I look forward to working with Ken Paulson and the board to organize an outstanding 2012 annual conference. The Great John Temple and I were drawing up the most wonderful ASNE convention ever for Chicago in 2009 when John suddenly decided to move to Hawaii or something. At any rate, this will be my third convention, having helped organize the 2001 APME conference in Milwaukee and the 2005 APME conference in San Jose.

I love ASNE because it stands for the best in journalism. I believe we will be saved by our best work – expert reporting about the issues and events that matter most to our communities. We’ve all been through hell to emerge in an exciting time when evolving technologies enable us to reach bigger audiences, tell more complete stories and have greater impact than ever. As an ASNE board member, I’ll do my best to spread the word about great ideas and best practices that will help us all thrive and grow.

Career

George Stanley has been managing editor of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel since 1997. He has led a professional staff to great achievements through a period of tumultuous change by helping to create a culture that encourages innovation and excellence while focusing on providing news of greatest value to Wisconsin readers.

The Journal Sentinel newsroom focuses on strengths that distinguish it from competitors, including in-depth investigative journalism, breaking news for digital platforms and expert beat coverage in sports, business, government and entertainment. Stanley leads the Journal Sentinel’s investigative and in-depth reporting efforts. The paper has won the Pulitzer Prize for local reporting twice in three years and has been Pulitzer finalists six times in seven years while also winning the nation’s highest journalism awards for reporting about science, health, the environment, business, education, justice and government

Stanley has led two national Associated Press Managing Editors association conferences that focused on adapting to change. He has served on the Associated Press Managing Editors Board of Directors, and now serves on the board of directors for the Wisconsin Newspaper Association, the Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council, and on the Board of Visitors for the University of Wisconsin - Madison School of Journalism.

Born on an Air Force base in Laredo, Texas, Stanley grew up in Green Bay. He was a reporter for the Lake Geneva Regional News, Ducks Unlimited Magazine and the Wichita Eagle before joining the Milwaukee Sentinel in 1989. He was business editor of the Sentinel and Journal Sentinel before becoming managing editor.

George and Pam Stanley have five grown children – a firefighter, nurse, newspaper reporter and two college students. Last year, Stanley traveled to Afghanistan as an embedded reporter in his oldest son’s Army Reserve unit and wrote a four-part series for the Journal Sentinel.

ASNE Activities

Stanley joined ASNE in 2001. He has co-chaired the Convention Program Committee and served on the Craft Development, Ethics and Values and Watchdog committees. He has also served as an election judge.