Audrey Cooper (born 1977) is an American journalist. Hearst Corporation named her as Editor in Chief of the San Francisco Chronicle on January 13, 2015, making her the first woman to hold this position.[1][2]
Audrey Cooper | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1977 (age 46–47) |
| Alma mater | Boston University (BA) |
| Occupation | Journalist |
| Known for | First woman editor-in-chief of the San Francisco Chronicle |
Before Cooper's appointment, there were only two women Editors in Chief working at America's top 25 circulation daily newspapers, Newsday's Debbie Henley and Nancy Barnes of the Houston Chronicle.[3]
Cooper was born in Topeka, Kansas, and grew up in the Kansas City, Kansas, area.[4] She graduated magna cum laude with a BA in Journalism and Political Science from Boston University in 1999. She worked as a journalist at the Tri-Valley Herald, the Associated Press, and the Stockton Record, all in Northern California.[2] She joined the Chronicle in 2006 as an assistant metro editor, rising to replace Stephen Proctor as managing editor in May 2013.[5] She left the Chronicle effective June 20, 2020.[4]
She was named Editor-in-Chief at WNYC Public Radio effective July 20, 2020.[6] Her hire was criticized by newsroom staff who had requested someone local who was a person of color with radio experience.[7][8] Her early tenure was also marked with conflict with her staff, layoffs, and terminations.[8][9] In May 2021, their union, SAG-AFTRA, filed a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board against New York Public Radio, over Cooper's actions along with other labor issues that preceded her hire.[9][10] The two groups settled in February 2022, agreeing to increase employee wage and benefits and extend employee protections against retaliation.[11]
References
edit- ^ "First Time Woman Named Editor In Chief Of SF Chronicle". ABC 7 News (KTO). 13 January 2015. Retrieved 14 January 2015.
- ^ a b Rubenstein, Steve (13 January 2015). "Audrey Cooper named editor in chief of The Chronicle". SFGate. SF Chronicle. Retrieved 14 January 2015.
- ^ O'Connor, Lydia (13 January 2015). "San Francisco Chronicle Names First Female Editor In Chief". Huffington Post. Retrieved 14 January 2015.
- ^ a b Thomas, Owen (June 1, 2020). "Editor in Chief Audrey Cooper to leave San Francisco Chronicle". San Francisco Chronicle.
- ^ Yang, Nu (6 September 2013). 10 Women to Watch, Editor & Publisher
- ^ "WNYC Names Audrey Cooper Editor in Chief". 11 June 2020.
- ^ Bellafante, Ginia (July 3, 2020). "WNYC Employees Demanded Diversity. They Got Another White Boss". The New York Times. Retrieved August 4, 2020.
- ^ a b Jacobson, Savannah (March 2, 2022). "WNYC sought change. It got turmoil". Columbia Journalism Review. Retrieved 17 June 2022.
- ^ a b Fuster, Jeremy (23 May 2021). "WNYC Accused of 'Coordinated and Aggressive Campaign' Against Internal Critics in SAG-AFTRA Complain to NLRB". Retrieved 17 June 2022.
- ^ Smith, Ben (23 May 2021). "It's the Media's 'Mean-Too' Moment. Stop Yelling and Go to Human Resources". The New York Times. Retrieved 17 June 2022.
- ^ Cho, Winston (25 February 2022). "SAG-AFTRA, New York Public Radio Settle Labor Dispute Over Layoffs, Alleged Surveillance". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 17 June 2022.