Title: Lead Editor and Content Manager
Company: The Colorado Springs Gazette
Location: Fountain, Colorado, United States
Jon Mitchell, lead editor and content manager at The Colorado Springs Gazette, has been recognized by Marquis Who’s Who Top Artists for dedication, achievements, and leadership in journalism.
Establishing himself across more than 25 years of hard work, Mr. Mitchell is an esteemed figure in the world of journalism, especially in his home state of Colorado. He initially decided to pursue journalism as a teenager, driven by his passion for writing and sports. Mr. Mitchell dreamed of being a sportswriter and getting paid to attend events like the Super Bowl and the World Series. He started his career as a sports reporter at the Glenwood Springs Post Independent in 1999.
Mr. Mitchell recalls struggling with job security and low pay in his early years, including having a car repossessed and working two jobs and as much as 72 hours a week just to make ends meet. In 2002, he became a sports reporter at The News-Review, a weekly newspaper in Roseburg, Oregon. During this time, Mr. Mitchell was taught important practical writing and editing skills by his editors, Craig Reed and Bill Strode. Building on his increasing expertise, he stepped into the role of assistant sports editor at the Greeley Tribune in 2008.
Hitting another professional roadblock during the 2008 to 2009 recession, Mr. Mitchell experienced his second layoff in just 10 years as a journalist. He spent several years working as a truck driver while taking on freelance writing assignments for various papers in the area. In 2013, Mr. Mitchell returned to the Glenwood Springs Post Independent as a sports editor. He later contributed as a sports reporter for The Daily Sentinel.
By 2018, Mr. Mitchell’s journalistic interests had expanded beyond the realm of sports. He began to recognize the impact that good reporting can have on the community and the wider world and broadened his scope as a page designer and photographer with The News-Review.
Having frequently demonstrated his skill at editorial leadership, Mr. Mitchell was recruited by The Colorado Springs Gazette in 2020, where he has served as the lead editor and content manager ever since. In this position, he oversees interactive content in digital editions of both The Colorado Springs Gazette and The Denver Gazette, including photo and audio material, as well as aiding in coverage decisions. Though Mr. Mitchell is keenly aware of the many challenges facing modern media outlets from his own work history, he has aided in ambitious plans to expand The Colorado Springs Gazette into a statewide outlet with multiple subsidiaries. He notes that the Gazette once had 200 newsroom employees, and although those days may never come back, he’s optimistic about the creativity and effort being put into the newspaper’s current trajectory.
Prior to embarking upon his career journey, Mr. Mitchell learned the essentials through his education. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in mass communication with emphasis on news, editorial, broadcasting and public relations from Colorado Mesa University, formerly Mesa State College, in 2000. Mr. Mitchell’s writing has received numerous accolades, including winning Best Sports Story from the Society of Professional Journalists. In 2014, he obtained second place in the Best Sports Story category from the Colorado Press Association.
Outside of his professional life, Mr. Mitchell is a dedicated husband, a loving father to one child and a devoted pet owner to three dogs. Beyond writing, he finds joy in photography, skiing, hiking, traveling and working on personal fitness. As he moves forward, Mr. Mitchell hopes to achieve two primary goals: making a difference in the lives of his publication’s readers and helping to rehabilitate the sometimes-negative image of journalism in the general public. He also intends to mentor up-and-coming journalists, leading more people toward a successful career in the field he loves.
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