News announces new city editor

Ryan McCracken has been a fixture in the local sports community since he started at the News in 2014, but in recent months he has become an integral facet of regular news coverage in Medicine Hat as well.

Back in June, McCracken was appointed as sports editor and the News is now excited to announce he will be taking on the city editor roll.

“I’m thrilled to be stepping into the role of city editor,” said McCracken. “I welcome the challenges this opportunity presents, and look forward to building new relationships across this city and strengthening our local coverage for years to come.”

A passion for the world of sports led McCracken to pursue a career in the media, which eventually brought him from his home province of Ontario to Alberta.

He worked at the St. Paul Journal for two years — where he earned awards for his coverage of national-level stories such as the 2012 Racette

Junior High School van crash — before taking on his first daily newspaper role in the News sports department.

With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and the effect it has had on local sports, McCracken was pushed out of his regular beat and quickly proved himself capable of handling the pressures of daily news coverage in all its forms while displaying strong news sense, leadership and a passion for objectivity.