States Newsroom announced the hiring of veteran political journalist Andrew DeMillo as editor-in-chief of the Arkansas Advocate, the state government-focused nonprofit news outlet.
DeMillo will succeed founding editor Sonny Albarado, who is retiring in December after a 50-plus year career in journalism, including three years at the Advocate.
DeMillo starts Dec. 15.
“Few journalists in Arkansas know as much about state government and politics as Andrew DeMillo,” Albarado said in a news release. “I’m excited for Advocate readers, who will see firsthand how Andrew can bring to life the impact of state law and policy on their lives.”
The Arkansas Advocate is part of States Newsroom, the nation’s largest state-focused nonprofit news organization, with reporters in all 50 capitals and Washington, D.C.
DeMillo has covered politics and policy in Arkansas for 23 years. The award-winning journalist has been a fixture at the Arkansas State Capitol in Little Rock for The Associated Press since 2005.
Before that, he worked for the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette as a reporter on the city government and national politics beats, among others.
He has been honored for his work. In 2023, he was named Diamond Journalist of the Year by the Arkansas chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. In 2021, he won first place from the Arkansas SPJ for his coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I’m honored and excited to lead the Arkansas Advocate’s talented newsroom, and proud to join the States Newsroom team,” DeMillo said in the release. “I hope to live up to the high bar already set by Sonny Albarado and the stellar work he and the Advocate team have done over the past three years. This is a vital time for news organizations to invest in covering state government and helping readers understand the important decisions being made about their lives.”
DeMillo is a graduate of the University of Georgia. He is on the board of The Red & Black, the independent student newspaper serving the university community in Athens.
Sign up for Daily E-news
