SFChronNewsroom Overview Cover Page

Newsroom Overview
Our Mission
Our mission is to tell the story of San Francisco — the city whose people change the
world. We will inform, inspire and provoke while being honest, fearless and original.
What We Are
The San Francisco Chronicle has two brands that uniquely position it to be the dominant
media voice in the Bay Area.
The San Francisco Chronicle, print
and online, is a premium
subscription destination, featuring
world-class journalism, awardwinning reporters, in-depth
analysis and commentary,
investigative reporting, feature
stories and columnists.
SFGate is the free, go-to
destination for anyone looking to
get purposeful, fast and
immediate breaking news, or a
quick taste of what is happening
in San Francisco at any given
moment.
The Newsroom
The San Francisco Chronicle is the definitive voice of the world’s most innovative region.
We start the conversation and relentlessly report on issues that have region-wide impact
because what’s happening in the Bay Area is what’s next for the world.
We prioritize coverage of:
>Breaking news
>Unique local personalities
>The innovation that powers the Bay Area and, by extension, the world
>The Northern California zeitgeist
>Thought leadership
We provide comprehensive coverage that’s timely and authoritative, told in a variety of
mediums across multiple platforms.
We value storytelling, authoritative reporting with deep context, complete sourcing,
accuracy, accountability and photography.
Business
Business provides the must-read stories about the Bay Area economy, which is powered
by the ideas that will change the world. Innovation is the lifeblood of the region, and our
journalism prioritizes and reflects that. Above all else, we prioritize where and who the
money comes from and where it goes — a key prism through which we measure how the
economy is being shaped, influenced and changed. We do this through explanatory
storytelling with a critical perspective so readers can always find out what they need to
know. We cover the influencers and who they influence — and how one group affects the
other. Through this, we chronicle the changing region.
Varied coverage
We produce the trusted business reporting our readers rely on, while offering up-to-the minute news, ambitious projects
and a unique point of view. We spell out what’s next for San Francisco and Silicon Valley.
Coverage focus
We focus on innovators and their ideas, investment/venture capitalism, philanthropy, wealth, tech culture and consumeroriented news.
On SFChronicle.com
SFChronicle offers deeper analysis, the first look into
what is the Next Big Thing and columnists that provide
greater context and depth. This is where you find
investigative journalism, videos and inter-active features.
If you are interested in being a part of San Francisco’s
booming economy, SFChronicle gives you what you
need to know, including lists of the big spenders,
innovations and people you need to follow. We also
cover next-generation philanthropy, looking at it with a
critical eye toward how businesses give back to the
community.
On SFGate.com
Get the day-to-day pulse on what’s happening in Bay
Area tech at SFGate. The Tech Chronicles covers the
news you need to know. SFGate has market coverage
and stock information, details on upcoming conventions
and stories about workplace culture. Articles frequently
feature consumer-oriented news and aggregated gadget
reviews. Blogs provide short bits of commentary on
national business news and major local news.
Business Beats & Contacts
Carolyn Said
the sharing economy
[email protected]
Victoria Colliver
health/health care industry
[email protected]
Wendy Lee
Silicon Valley companies
[email protected]
Benny Evangelista
consumer tech
[email protected]
Marissa Lang
tech culture
[email protected]
David Baker
clean energy, privacy
[email protected]
Jessica Floum
business and technology
[email protected]
Kathleen Pender
personal finance columnist
[email protected]
Thomas Lee
major local companies (big business)
columnist
[email protected]
News
The Chronicle is the Bay Area’s premier news source, providing an authoritative voice that
lends context and depth to the conflicts and changes that shape the region. The coverage
aims to make readers feel smarter about the important issues of the day.
Breaking news
We cover breaking news with a sense of urgency, but with the expertise that sets us apart from competitors. We provide
richer context, authority, deeper sourcing, accuracy and accountability — all while getting the story first.
Coverage focus
Beats are covered through the prisms of change, conflict and power, without losing sight of the quirky and eclectic stories
that make the Bay Area unique. How the region changes and who is at the helm are at the heart of what we do.
On SFChronicle.com
Chronicle journalists provide deep, thoughtful analysis on
the big issues of the day. It’s the go-to place for our
major investigations, which often include behind-thescenes stories, blogs and materials (reports, court
documents, sidebars) that are not available elsewhere.
While major breaking news stories are covered, the
emphasis is on the “why” of breaking news and the story
behind the story. We seek out external voices that can
contrib-ute to this vision. During key elections, SFChronicle.com is the primary source for all things political.
On SFGate.com
SFGate provides viral, short-form and breaking news
aimed at engaging readers from the early morning hours
until late at night.
News Beats & Contacts
Jill Tucker
K-12 education
[email protected]
John Wildermuth
politics
[email protected]
Carl Nolte
San Francisco history & parks
[email protected]
Nanette Asimov
higher education
[email protected]
Carolyn Lochhead
Washington bureau
[email protected]
David Perlman
science
[email protected]
Peter Fimrite
environment
[email protected]
Melody Gutierrez
Sacramento bureau
[email protected]
C.W. Nevius
San Francisco columnist
[email protected]
Rachel Swan
Oakland
[email protected]
Phil Matier & Andrew Ross
political gossip
[email protected]
Otis Taylor
East Bay columnist
[email protected]
Erin Allday
health
[email protected]
Heather Knight
city hall and politics columnist
[email protected]
John King
urban design & architecture
[email protected]
Bob Egelko
legal affairs
[email protected]
Emily Green
city hall
[email protected]
Michael Cabanatuan
transportation
[email protected]
Joe Garofoli
politics
[email protected]
Lizzie Johnson
city hall
[email protected]
J.K. Dineen
development
[email protected]
Bob Miller
foreign/national coverage
[email protected]
Steve Rubenstein
features
[email protected]
Kevin Fagan
investigative reporter
[email protected]
Joaquin Palomino
investigative reporter
[email protected]
Cynthia Dizikes
investigative reporter
[email protected]
Karen de Sa
investigative reporter
[email protected]
Evan Sernoffsky
breaking news
[email protected]
Vivian Ho
breaking news
[email protected]
Kurtis Alexander
breaking news
[email protected]
Hamed Aleaziz
breaking news
[email protected]
Jenna Lyons
breaking news
[email protected]
Kimberly Veklerov
breaking news
[email protected]
Sports
Sports covers the country’s most vibrant sports market, telling the story of the Bay Area’s
teams and athletes, both on and off the field. We satisfy the hard-core sports fan, but
extend our reach to the general reader with stories that examine the cultural zeitgeist
surrounding sports. Our coverage surprises with unique takes on common refrains and
provocative stories that influence or inspire the sporting world. Simply put: The Chronicle
sports department starts and continues the daily conversation about Bay Area sports.
Breaking news
We are the first to break news on sports issues and teams that are important to Bay Area residents and deliver that news
quickly and with the depth and context that only a 150-year-old media company can provide. If for any reason we are not
first, we aggregate the news immediately so we can remain the relevant source for Bay Area sports news.
Coverage focus
We prioritize coverage of professional Bay Area sports, particularly baseball, football and basketball. Secondary emphasis
is placed on local college sports, preps and hockey. We prominently feature our columnists, who bring depth to our
reporting and highly regarded points of view.
On SFChronicle.com
Chronicle columnists provide readers with a deeper
experience. In addition, we provide next-day analysis on
the local sports market and features that get behind the
scenes with athletes and coaches. This site is a place to
gather and engage with readers using methods —
including interactive chats and video discussions — that
bring users into the press box.
On SFGate.com
The newsroom maintains a number of team-specific
blogs, which add commentary and buzz to the stories
everyone is talking about. The blogs are used to
complement SFChronicle.com. Running game stories
and game results, as well as breaking news, live on
SFGate.
Sports Beats & Contacts
Eric Branch
49ers
[email protected]
Tom FitzGerald
Stanford
[email protected]
Scott Ostler
columnist
[email protected]
Vic Tafur
Raiders
[email protected]
Connor Letourneau
Cal
[email protected]
Janny Hu
assistant sports editor
[email protected]
Henry Schulman
Giants
[email protected]
Tom Stienstra
outdoors
[email protected]
Mike Lerseth
assistant sports editor
[email protected]
Susan Slusser
A’s
[email protected]
Steve Kroner
general assignment
[email protected]
Al Saracevic
sports editor, columnist
[email protected]
John Shea
baseball
[email protected]
Ann Killion
columnist
[email protected]
Rusty Simmons
Warriors
[email protected]
Bruce Jenkins
columnist
[email protected]
Lifestyle
The San Francisco Chronicle owns lifestyle coverage in the Bay Area, focusing on trends
in style, food, wine/spirits, design and travel. Every day we publish fresh storytelling and
service journalism that resonates with our unique culture.
How we live
Northern Californians live differently from people elsewhere in the country, and The Chronicle reports on this lifestyle and
packages the content in modern ways. Everything we do has a Northern California focus and connection.
Coverage focus
We enrich our trend reporting with practical information that our audience can act on, including what to buy, where to go,
what to do, what to eat and what to drink.
On SFChronicle.com
Chronicle journalists, photographers and
videogra-phers report on trends, style makers and news
in these lifestyle categories, bringing relevant context
and creative flair. While SFGate offers what’s interesting
today, in the moment and with a sense of fun,
SFChronicle.com offers rich entertainment and insight,
along with access to the region’s influential and creative
people and institutions. It’s high-end fashion, society
events, Michael Bauer’s restaurant reviews, wine
recommendations and great trend reporting on food and
drink. This site brings you multimedia access and insight
into San Francisco-style celebrity: the chefs, designers
and tastemakers who help the region thrive. We make
heavy use of video, including how-to’s and interviews
with chefs. We also will bring in additional contributors
who have distinctive points of view about the lifestyle
landscape. Travel coverage here is highly curated,
heavily relying on archival content to build out
sophisticated packages.
On SFGate.com
Lifestyle coverage is about what is happening right now,
focused on a tuned-in and contemporary audience.
SFGate embraces lifestyle coverage as entertainment,
and it is the entry point and guide for visitors and locals.
We feature celebrity news and street fashion, best
brunches and burrito recommendations, Wine Country
guides,
neighbor-hood shopping and society slideshows.
Chronicle voices have an outlet through blogs, which are
buzzy and vibrant and complementary to The Chronicle
coverage. Inside Scoop breaks news and aggregates
outside food coverage. Locally focused travel coverage
lives on SFGate.
News Beats & Contacts
Michael Bauer
restaurant critic,
executive food and wine editor
[email protected]
Amanda Gold
food writer
[email protected]
Tara Duggan
food writer
[email protected]
Sarah Fritsche
food writer
[email protected]
Jonathan Kauffman
food feature writer
[email protected]
Carolyne Zinko
style reporter
[email protected]
Esther Mobley
wine, beer & spirits writer
[email protected]
Spud Hilton
travel editor
[email protected]
Deb Wandell
senior travel editor
[email protected]
Tony Bravo
style reporter and columnist
[email protected]
Laura Compton
style editor
[email protected]
Arts & Entertainment
The Chronicle is the acknowledged authority on arts and entertainment in the Bay Area.
Our nationally recognized critics and staff writers put their deep knowledge and critical
acumen to work every day to help readers make informed choices about how to negotiate
the area’s rich array of cultural offerings.
The first source
Whether it’s a long-established arts organization or an all-but-unknown project that’s just getting off the ground, The
Chronicle’s readers know about it first from us.
Coverage focus
We prioritize coverage of fine arts, movies, music, pop culture, books and media, and the unique personalities behind
them. We rely heavily on established critics whose points of view resonate across the region and we see our role as
creating a dialogue with readers throughout the Bay Area. There’s a reason the publishing world pays attention to The
Chronicle and our best-seller list as a reflection of the area’s insatiable hunger for the printed word, even if the word is
“printed” on a tablet.
On SFChronicle.com
Our critical expertise lets us give recommendations on
what is a must-see or a should-miss event. This site
gives readers criticism and context they don’t get
anywhere else. We explain why the Bay Area arts scene
is edgy, quirky, innovative and bold and make readers
excited about participating in the arts community. We
expand on breaking news by providing sources and
context that readers can’t get elsewhere. Readers come
away from their time with The Chronicle with an
understanding of how and why the rest of the country
considers the Bay Area an artistic bellwether. Readers
get multimedia access to the people who create our art
and are cultural thought leaders. Museum, performance
and other reviews live here exclusively.
On SFGate.com
We are the first to report on breaking cultural news, and
we provide extensive listings — both curated and not —
that help guide the reader to make informed decisions.
We cover the complete experience of major events,
including slideshows of major music festivals, parking
tips, traffic information and other must-know details. We
are the go-to site for only-in-the-Bay Area events,
including Pride, Bay to Breakers, Folsom Street Fair,
Litquake, Hardly Strictly Bluegrass and the Lunar New
Year parade, among others.
Arts & Entertainment Beats & Contacts
Joshua Kosman
classical music critic
[email protected]
Lily Janiak
theater critic
[email protected]
Mick LaSalle
film critic
[email protected]
John McMurtrie
book editor
[email protected]
Aidin Vaziri
pop music critic
[email protected]
Don Asmussen
cartoonist
[email protected]
Peter Hartlaub
pop culture critic
[email protected]
Leah Garchik
columnist
[email protected]
Charles Desmarais
art critic
[email protected]
David Wiegand
assistant managing editor,
TV critic
[email protected]
Will Hearst
staff member
[email protected]
Sam Whiting
features
[email protected]
Ryan Kost
features
[email protected]
Opinion
We engage and empower readers, giving them a roadmap for how to participate and
influence their community and beyond.
Our own opinions are distinguished by original reporting, independent thinking and a
commitment to identifying solutions. We use our access and resources to give readers an
opportunity to view and participate in civic affairs, and to elevate the level of civility and
substance in community conversations. Our editorial philosophy is not to comment on the
weather but to create weather patterns.
Coverage focus
We focus on Bay Area issues that merit attention, especially when there is an otherwise dearth of coverage or leadership.
Our focus is on not just joining the chorus, but finding the right issues and positions in which we can make a difference.
Many Bay Area residents regard themselves as engaged citizens of the world, and our daily editorial pages, Sunday
Insight and digital sites reflect that. Opinion is our local expertise, and we strive for the highest standards of fairness,
accuracy and independence. We will continue to build a contributor network, giving our soapbox to other thought leaders
who are carefully selected for the value they contribute to the civic dialogue.
On SFChronicle.com
We provide VIP treatment for subscribers through the
many ways they can interact with our Opinion team. This
includes fast-tracking members’ access to letters to the
editor, Google hangouts with newsmakers (and on
occasion with The Chronicle journalists), live-streaming
editorial boards, “town hall” meetings and opportunities
for members to ask questions of candidates and other
editorial board visitors.
On SFGate.com
We use blogs and social media to spur public
conversation as breaking news develops. We look for
opportunities to not only increase our impact by reaching
a wider readership than our subscriber base —
especially during elections — but to build trust with the
community by increasing the transparency of the editorial
board and its decisions. This is achieved by opening the
process to public scrutiny with online chats and other
methods
Opinion Beats & Contacts
John Diaz
editorial page editor
[email protected]
Spencer Whitney
assistant editorial page editor
[email protected]
Marshall Kilduff
editorial writer
[email protected]
Lois Kazakoff
deputy editorial page editor
[email protected]
Debra J. Saunders
op-ed columnist
[email protected]
Caille Millner
editorial writer, columnist
[email protected]