Trey Stafford, the president and general manager of the Jonesboro Radio Group, has a vision for online local news in Craighead County, and he’s picked an editor to help realize it.
Stafford announced Wednesday that longtime Jonesboro resident Rachel Anderson will be editor in chief of the news service, JonesboroRightNow, which will launch April 2. The news will be free to viewers, with no subscriptions and no pay wall.
Anderson brings deep roots and a wealth of experience and local understanding to the new role, Stafford said. Before accepting the editing post, Anderson was senior video analyst and digital media officer for the Jonesboro Police Department. She is a certified law enforcement officer.
Over three decades in Jonesboro, Anderson has done extensive volunteer work with organizations like Million Women Mentors, Friends of East, the Jonesboro 2030 Committee, the American Advertising Federation and the Arkansas Child Abduction Response Team.
Her community involvement has been noted by the Wall Street Journal, Inside Edition, Discovery Channel, and The Weather Channel, Stafford said in a news release. Anderson has experience in multimedia storytelling and digital communications that led to several awards.
She was named 2021 officer of the year by Crimestoppers of Jonesboro and won the 2023 best social media account recognition in the Best of Northeast Arkansas awards for her work on the police department’s social media platforms.
In the release, Anderson said she intends to instill JonesboroRightNow with a commitment to journalistic integrity, accuracy, timeliness and community engagement to Jonesboro and the surrounding area.
“I am honored to be trusted with this role,” Anderson said in the release. “I hope this news site fills a gap that our community is missing in the journalism world. Following my career in the public sector, I consider it a privilege to serve and connect with my community in this new way.”
Stafford said he’s confident Anderson will succeed in news as she did in public service.
“Rachel’s deep ties to the Jonesboro community, coupled with her extensive experience in digital media, marketing, and journalism, make her the ideal candidate to lead JonesboroRightNow,” said Stafford.
The online product will be available at jonesbororightnow.com.
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