The Richmond News has a new editor.
Long-time city hall reporter and acting editor Maria Rantanen has been named the editor of the publication that’s been bringing the news to the Richmond community for almost half a century.
Rantanen said she’s traded in her combat boots for Skechers Slip-ins to keep up with the pace of her new position.
While Rantanen will continue to keep her seat warm in the “press gallery” at the back of city hall chambers, she’s also tackling the rapidly changing landscape of news.
Rantanen started in the business almost 20 years ago, finishing her journalism training while raising three young sons, all under 10 at that point.
Freelancing took her around the Lower Mainland — from Chilliwack to Burnaby — and she finally settled at the Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows Times, where she reported on the community for seven years.
But the seven-year itch got her.
After leaving Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows, she took on a series of freelance jobs, ran her own little store, and volunteered with vulnerable Downtown Eastside moms and babies and at her local community centre.
In 2018, she decided it was time to go back into journalism and was hired in December by the Richmond News, a town where she has deep ties.
"Maria’s deep roots in Richmond, sharp journalistic instincts, and unwavering integrity make her the perfect person to lead our newsroom,” said Richmond News publisher Matt Blair.
“I’m thrilled to see her take the helm. There’s no one better at thoughtfully shaping the stories that matter most to this community — whether she’s holding power to account, honouring local resilience or celebrating the rich cultural mosaic that makes Richmond so unique.”
Rantanen has watched the evolution of news delivery over the years.
Nothing has changed faster than the digitization of news.
Going from a twice-weekly print publication and stories being uploaded straight after production day onto the web, to asking IT to post breaking news, to reporters posting their own stories, to learning about search engine optimization and the power of Google, to being kicked off Facebook and Instagram, the learning curve has been steep for journalists.
But it’s not all about pageviews and SEOs.
Journalism is about relationships and trust. Trust between colleagues, sources and the community.
“The highest compliment I’ve been paid as a journalist was being told I have integrity,” Rantanen said. “Without integrity, you won’t gain the trust of your audience. Journalism is a public service, and I don’t know any other career like it.”
Rantanen remembers arguing with editors over her words, but, in the end, every editor will make their reporter look better.
“I learned from the best editors,” Rantanen said. “Our craft includes providing direction to a team, curating the right stories for your audience and making sure all the words flow.”
A craft she will hone at the helm of the Richmond News.
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