Sewell Chan is an American

journalist A journalist is a person who gathers information in the form of text, audio or pictures, processes it into a newsworthy form and disseminates it to the public. This is called journalism. Roles Journalists can work in broadcast, print, advertis ...

based in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

who was most recently the executive editor of the '' Columbia Journalism Review''. Previously he was the

editor-in-chief An editor-in-chief (EIC), also known as lead editor or chief editor, is a publication's editorial leader who has final responsibility for its operations and policies. The editor-in-chief heads all departments of the organization and is held accoun ...

of '' The Texas Tribune'' from 2021 to 2024. Prior to that, Chan held positions at the ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...

'' from 2018 to 2021, ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' from 2004 to 2018, and ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...

'' from 2000 to 2004. In 2025, Chan was fired from his role at the ''Columbia Journalism Review'' after complaints about mistreatment of staff, which Chan denied.

Early life and education

Chan, the son of immigrants from China and Hong Kong, grew up in

Flushing, Queens Flushing is a neighborhood in the north-central portion of the New York City Borough (New York City), borough of Queens. The neighborhood is the fourth-largest central business district in New York City. Downtown Flushing is a major commercial ...

and attended New York City public schools and Hunter College High School, where he was the co-editor of the school's independent newspaper, ''The Observer''. He graduated from

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

with an AB in Social Studies in 1998 and received a Marshall Scholarship for graduate study at

Oxford University The University of Oxford is a collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the second-oldest continuously operating u ...

. He received his MPhil in politics in 2000.

Career

From 2000 to 2004, Chan wrote for ''

'', where he covered municipal politics, poverty and social services, and education. Chan's tenure also included a stint as a correspondent at the ''Posts bureau in Baghdad, where he reportedly clashed with his colleagues, including an incident in which Chan allegedly asked that the Iraqi driver for the bureau personally install a new toilet seat in Chan's hotel room at the Sheraton. The posting in Baghdad lasted only three months. Chan moved to ''The New York Times'' in 2004. In January 2010, Chan joined ''The Times''s Washington bureau as a correspondent covering economic policy. In February 2011, Chan was named a deputy editor of the ''Times'' Op-Ed page and Sunday Review section. From 2015 to 2018, Chan was an International News Editor. In August 2018, the ''Los Angeles Times'' named Chan a deputy managing editor. In April 2020, he became an editorial page editor, in charge of overseeing the editorial and op-ed pages. Chan was the lead author of a 2020 editorial examining the ''Los Angeles Times'' fraught history with communities of color and journalists of color and apologizing for the newspaper's history of racism. After Donald Trump lost the 2020 election, Chan faced criticism for publishing a full page of letters devoted to Californians who had voted for Trump. Chan was named '' The Texas Tribune'' editor-in-chief effective October 2021. Chan served as a judge for the American Mosaic Journalism Prize in 2024 and 2025. Chan became the executive editor of the '' Columbia Journalism Review'' in September 2024. In April 2025, Columbia University fired Chan from CJR, after a series of complaints about his leadership and treatment of staff. Chan denied mistreating any staff.

References

External links

New York Times articles by Sewell Chan
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Chan, Sewell 1977 births Living people Alumni of the University of Oxford American journalists of Chinese descent American newspaper reporters and correspondents American people of Hong Kong descent Harvard College alumni Hunter College High School alumni Marshall Scholars People from Flushing, Queens The New York Times journalists The Washington Post people The Wall Street Journal people The Philadelphia Inquirer people Los Angeles Times people American LGBTQ journalists

Early life and education

Career

See also

References

External links