Thomas Dewell

Co-Editor

Thomas Dewell serves as co-editor for the News&Guide and managing editor for the Daily. He also contributes stories and photos, designs and copy edits pages and posts stories to the web. He serves on the business’s marketing council and website design and implementation team. He is a past president of the Wyoming Press Association and current member of the Wyoming Press Association Foundation board.

A graduate of University of California, Santa Barbara, Dewell started in newspapers as an intern at The Santa Barbara Independent. At the Jackson Hole Guide, he climbed from reporter to editor. He became a partner and co-editor when the News and Guide merged in 2002. His volunteer work includes helping Spanish-speaking middle school students with their studies. He lives in Wilson, Wyo., with his family, two-horses, two-cats, a dog and 12 chickens.

[WY 0201] - Part 1: Intro and Contribution (6:09)

Thomas Dewell, co-editor, The Jackson Hole News & Guide, started at the newspaper in 1992 as a sports writer. Dewell says his newspaper is a watchdog. There are many diverse forces at work in Jackson, Wyo., and “sometimes those forces need to be reminded about the most important part of Jackson, which is the conservation ethic – protecting the wildlife, protecting the parks, and the wild lands that make this place different,” says Dewell. “We reflect the community, says Dwell. “By staying rooted in that,” says Dewell, “I think we keep our audience.”

[WY 0202] - Part 2: Ethics & Digital Content (3:55)

Thomas Dewell, co-editor, The Jackson Hole News & Guide, says journalism ethics are discussed frequently in the newsroom. “It’s a key to our business,” says Dewell, “because – as in life – all you have is your credibility. If a newspaper doesn’t have its credibility – its audience figures it out real quick. And its audience turns away,” says Dewell. The News & Guide has figured out how to deal with anonymous e-mailed reader comments on its website – it prohibits them. “They are a jungle of innuendo and anonymous attacks,” says Dewell.

[WY 0203] - Part 3: Strategic Changes (5:13)

Thomas Dewell, co-editor, The Jackson Hole News & Guide, says they use their website to drive people to their printed products. “We put up three or four stories every day,” says Dewell. “[The website is] part of what we do, but not all of what we do.” During the economic downturn, two people in the newsroom, lost through attrition in recent years, have not been replaced. “We’ve added more work to people’s loads,” says Dewell, “but I think we keep it pretty well balanced.”

[WY 0204] - Part 4: Adaptation & the Future (3:09)

Thomas Dewell, co-editor, The Jackson Hole News & Guide, says facing change is not new for newspapers. “I would wager that newspapers have been changing from the day they were invented and have continued to change,” says Dewell. “If you don’t adapt you die.” Even in the digital era, Dewell believes the key formula for continued success is practicing good journalism. “Good story telling. Good photography. That’s as important as ever,” says Dewell.

[WY 0205] - Part 5: Preparation (2:33)

Thomas Dewell, co-editor, The Jackson Hole News & Guide, says the best way to become a professional journalist is to get to work through an internship or a part-time job. “If you like it, you need to do it,” says Dewell. He also thinks aspiring journalists need to practice their listening skills: “You need to be able to listen and to understand nuance,” says Dewell.