We have excellent news!
After many years in which I’ve run the newsroom in tandem with Joe Eskenazi — a feat that sometimes felt like a high-wire act — Mission Local has added a new senior editor. His name is Joe Rivano Barros, and he started in April. (I know, two Joes. We haven’t yet figured that one out.)
Joe Rivano joined Mission Local right out of Stanford University in 2014 as part of the Rebele Internship program, which places young students in local newsrooms. He was terrific then: Bookish, curious and thoughtful. Unfortunately for us, he was also eager for foreign adventure and left the Bay Area to work for a nonprofit in Bhutan.
When he returned, we hired him as a full-time reporter and he did superb work on the homeless, housing and political issues. At the time, we had only three reporters, all of whom covered everything — a madhouse of a newsroom in what was probably half the size of a Pacific Heights closet.
After Joe R. left to work on housing policy and communication ops for small nonprofits, we met occasionally to catch up, and it was clear that he hadn’t lost the reporting bug. That was good news for us.
Already, Joe E. and I can see the benefits of what he brings to the job: A deep knowledge of and love for the city, as well as superior editing and organizational skills. All are essential as Mission Local grows.
He’s already reshaped stories for the better, asked reporters the right questions, and elevated a story by recognizing a buried lede that I missed. He’s also been a model of efficient reporting and writing, knocking out an obit on a beloved local resident in a day and a half and doing a quick turnaround that raised questions about closing an RV park for homeless residents in Bayview. To do this quickly and well is not easy, but it is essential, because editors here serve as models for the young reporters we train. Those numbers have grown.
Since Joe’s last stint at Mission Local in 2017, we’ve moved from our closet-sized offices to a bit more space. We now have six full-time staffers and three interns. Our brilliant cadre of young reporters reflects the diversity of the city and deserves the best of editors and guides. In Joe, we’ve found exactly that.
So, welcome Joe, and if you need to get in touch with him, he can be reached at joe.rivanobarros@missionlocal.com
Here’s to more local news!
ML is the little engine that could. Nice work.
Welcome back, Joe! So glad to see Mission Local is more good hands.
Super congrats and welcome, New Joe!
Wishing all continued best to all the gang and the whole shebang at Mission Local, one of the best “rags” on the planet! 🙂
Wow! Wonderful news!! Mission Local just keeps upping the ante (and standards) for credible, professional journalism. How lucky are we San Franciscans to have a stellar publication with thoughtful journalists like all of you? Welcome Joe Rivano Barros. Once again: Mission Local leads the way.