Published Dec. 16, 2021
Brittany Meiling, a Springfield native and former Los Angeles Times analyst, has joined the Springfield Daily Citizen as managing editor.
In her first few weeks, Meiling will build the web presence of the Daily Citizen and work with CEO David Stoeffler to continue recruiting journalists and develop content plans for the newsroom. The Daily Citizen will launch in mid-February with a new website and newsletter.
Meiling joins the nonprofit from the Los Angeles Times, where she studied audience behavior for the newsroom. As part of her role, she trained hundreds of journalists in sharp online writing and advised editors in digital strategy. Before that, Meiling worked as a business and tech reporter for the San Diego Union-Tribune and voluntarily led the newsroom’s analytics efforts.
Meiling said she was eager to do journalism in her hometown and was drawn to the nonprofit’s plan to give locals “usable news.”
“I think a lot of readers feel apathetic towards mainstream journalism, partly because it inspires feelings of helplessness and hopelessness,” Meiling said. “Journalism should have the opposite effect. It should be a tool you use to live a more full, engaged life.”
Meiling was born and raised in Greater Springfield, attended high school in Republic, and earned an undergraduate degree in journalism from Missouri State University in 2013.
As a reporter, Meiling won six first-place awards from the San Diego Press Club for her business coverage. She also earned a national award from the Association of Area Business Publishers for her creation of a startup section in the San Diego Business Journal.
Meiling returned home this summer and now lives in Springfield with her husband, Andrew, and their one-year-old son. On weekends you can find her designing clothes and sewing garments, marveling at rain and free grocery bags, and enjoying all the things she’s missed while living in Southern California.
You can send news or notes to Meiling at bmeiling@sgfcitizen.org or follow her on Twitter at @brittanymeiling.