Casey Seiler has been named editor and vice president of the Times Union, one of New York’s daily newspapers, operated by Hearst.
Seiler succeeds Rex Smith, who has served as editor since 2002. Smith will continue to oversee the newspaper’s opinion pages and write his award-winning column, as well as undertake various community and educational projects for the Times Union and Hearst Newspapers in his new capacity as editor-at-large. The announcement was made by Hearst President and CEO Steven R. Swartz, Hearst Newspapers President Jeff Johnson and Times Union President and Publisher George R. Hearst III.
Seiler, who has been managing editor of the Times Union since 2018, assumes his new role February 1. He joined the Times Union newsroom as entertainment editor in 2000 and led the paper’s state capitol coverage as state editor from 2008 to 2017, when he was named senior editor for news.
“Building upon Rex’s record of fostering thought-provoking, community-centred journalism in the Times Union newsroom, I am excited to see Casey further the important mission of this newspaper,” George R. Hearst III said. “He has a proven record of asking questions that matter to deliver the best reporting possible. Rex leaves big shoes to fill, and we are grateful for his continued presence in the newsroom as Casey begins his tenure at the helm.”
“Throughout his time as managing editor, Casey has consistently demonstrated an unwavering commitment to quality journalism,” Johnson said. “Under his leadership, the Times Union will continue its legacy of world-class news reporting and serving the Capital Region.”
For more than a decade, Seiler has co-hosted New York NOW, a weekly public affairs program produced jointly with the Times Union and WMHT, a PBS television station. He previously held positions at the Burlington Free Press in Vermont and the Jackson Hole News&Guide in Wyoming.
“The men and women of the Times Union work every day to produce some of the most hard-hitting and colourful journalism in New York,” Seiler said. “I consider it a high honour to have the chance to lead this newsroom and continue the tradition of independence and quality set by Rex and George.”
Smith joined the Times Union in 1995 as managing editor/news after four years as editor of The Record in Troy, New York. Earlier in his career, he was a reporter and national correspondent for Newsday and managing editor of the Rensselaer Republican in Indiana.
For more than 25 years, Smith has co-hosted a nationally syndicated radio program, The Media Project, in partnership with Northeast Public Radio.
Smith is chairman of the New York News Publishers Association board of directors, vice-chair of the New York Fair Trial Free Press Conference and previously served as president of the New York State Associated Press Association. He is also chairman of the Alumni Board at the Columbia University School of Journalism, where he earned a master’s degree in 1980.
“It has been my great honour to lead the talented and committed journalists of the Times Union,” Smith said. “I am confident that Casey’s leadership will strengthen our team’s work, serving the readers in our community with reporting that makes a difference in people’s lives. I look forward to working alongside him, furthering the conversation between the Times Union and its readers.”
A native of Buffalo who grew up in Louisville, Kentucky, Seiler is a graduate of Northwestern University.