Oct 11, 2020 4 min read

Observer-Reporter Executive Editor Liz Rogers has been tapped to oversee editorial operations as the executive editor of the Uniontown Herald-Standard and Greene County Messenger.

Rogers, who will continue to serve in her current position at the Observer-Reporter and its weekly publication, The Almanac, said she is excited to take on the expanded role. All four publications are owned by Ogden Newspapers.

“I think, obviously, it’s a big challenge, but at the same time it’s pretty exciting to have the resources available that will enable us to deliver a more robust news product to the readers in all our markets,” Rogers said, adding that each newspaper has staffers delivering quality content. “It even bolsters our ability to deliver more news. I’m actually looking at it as four newsrooms merging in to one, which makes us something of a Southwestern Pennsylvania powerhouse.”

She added the combined resources of the four newsrooms will allow the papers to tackle comprehensive topics more efficiently and effectively and reach an expanded audience.

“The Herald-Standard and Greene County Messenger welcome and look forward to the regional cooperation opportunities Liz Rogers brings to our newsrooms with her oversight,” said Michael Scott, publisher of the Herald-Standard and Greene County Messenger, a weekly publication based in Waynesburg. “There are many topics in Southwestern Pennsylvania that can affect all of us, and now the door is open to collaborate and bring these issues to light for all of our newspaper readers.”

A graduate of Uniontown Area High School, Rogers holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from California University of Pennsylvania.

While in college, Rogers took an internship as a photographer at the Observer-Reporter.

“It was a great opportunity for me,” Rogers said. “I kind of got a good feel for what a working newsroom was all about.”

After graduating the following year, Rogers was hired by the Observer-Reporter as a clerk in the lifestyles department before accepting a reporting position at the paper. She later worked on the copy desk before moving up through the ranks of editor positions.

She was named the executive editor of the Observer-Reporter and The Almanac, based in the South Hills of Pittsburgh, in 2016.

Rogers said all four newspapers share the same goal: to bring readers meaningful, community-driven news.

“Hyper-local is our niche. That’s our market, and we do it well, and we’ll be doing it even better with the combined staff,” Rogers said.

In her expanded role overseeing all four newsrooms, Rogers said she would like to have opportunities to do more watchdog reporting, cultivate more reader engagement and strengthen all of the newspapers’ websites with digital features.

“The Herald-Standard and Observer-Reporter staffs have been collaborating since 2018,” said Jennifer Garofalo, managing editor of the Herald-Standard. “As we continue to increase our cooperative efforts, I believe readers at all four papers will reap the benefits.”

Staffs at both dailies have already worked together on enterprise initiatives, including a series on the proposed legalization of recreational marijuana and the state of the Catholic church following a 2018 grand jury investigation that revealed decades of sex abuse.

Rogers plans to build on that foundation by taking deeper dives into issues relevant to readers in the area, exploring ways to offer hard-hitting news content as well as lighter feature stories.

Rogers is married with three grown daughters and two “very spoiled” Corgi dogs. While she now lives in South Strabane Township, she has not forgotten her Fayette County roots.

“Because I grew up in Uniontown, I am familiar with the community,” Rogers said. “While I left for a while, I still feel like I’m a good fit for the position and know the issues the readers are facing in Fayette County as well as Washington and Greene counties.”