Melinda Welsh was the founding editor of the Sacramento News & Review in 1989. She served there as editor-in-chief for most of the next two decades, including a six-year stint as executive editor of all three N&R newsweeklies in Sacramento, Chico and Reno. She stepped down permanently from the SN&R editor role in the spring of 2012.

The SN&R won more than five dozen awards for excellence under Welsh’s tenure, including several dozen first place awards from the California Newspaper Publishers Association (including many for Public Service and two for General Excellence), many other various regional awards, and a national Edward C. Koop Award for health care coverage.

Welsh won various individual awards for investigative reporting and editorial writing; she had a longtime listing in Marquis Who’s Who in American Woman. She also taught magazine writing classes at Sacramento City College — one a semester for five years. During Welsh’s tenure as editor of SN&R, she orchestrated half a dozen state and national journalistic projects, including two that were joined by more than 50 newsweeklies across the country. She now writes freelance articles and essays for publication. Click here for a full resume. 

Folio Magazine, Eddie Awards, 2019
First Place, City & Regional, Essays and Criticism

California Newspaper Publishers Association Awards, 2014
First Place, Feature Writing

California Newspaper Publishers Association Awards, 2011
First Place, Special Issue

California Newspaper Publishers Association Awards, 2010
First Place, Public Service

California Newspaper Publishers Association Awards, 2009
First Place, Public Service
First Place, Freedom of Information

California Newspaper Publishers Association Awards, 2008
First Place, General Excellence

California Newspaper Publishers Association Awards, 2006
First Place, Editorial Writing

California Newspaper Publishers Association Awards, 2005
First Place, Editorial Writing
First Place, Environmental/Business Reporting

California Newspaper Publishers Association Awards, 1997
First Place, General Excellence

California Newspaper Publishers Association Awards, 1990-2012
During the editor’s tenure, in addition to the above, SN&R’s reporters and designers won more than five dozen first and second place awards in multiple categories (more awards than any news weekly during this time period) in this annual statewide contest.

National Newspaper Association Awards
During the editor’s tenure, the SN&R won five awards in this national contest, including one in 1996 in the “First Amendment” category for an SN&R investigative series that ended in a successful legal battle with the state’s then-attorney general over First Amendment rights.

Other Awards
During the editor’s tenure, the SN&R won dozens of other awards in such contests as the Best Of The West, the Society for Professional Journalists, the California Bar Association Journalism Award, the Edward C. Koop Award for health care coverage, the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies Award Contest and others.

Who’s Who in American Women (Marquis)
Listing: 1996-present 

EDUCATION

University of California at Davis, Extension, various courses, 2003- 2005
Stanford University Continuing Studies, various courses, 2000 – 2004
University of California at Davis, Bachelor of Science, applied behavioral sciences; 1979
California State Scholar; 1974-1979 

PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS

News & Review Community Publishing, trustee, board executive
Association of Alternative Newsweeklies, member
Institute for Media and Democracy/Alternet, former board executive