Anne Brennan, an award-winning journalist whose career began as a night police reporter at the Cape Cod Times before rising to become its executive editor, has been announced as the new Senior Managing Editor in Boston for MassLive.
Brennan is a long-time Boston resident and brings decades of editorial experience to MassLive’s growing footprint in the state’s capital. Her journalism has earned numerous national and regional awards for print and digital work as both reporter and editor.
The company announced Brennan’s hire on Friday and she begins her new role on April 22.
“Joining an organization that is expanding is very exciting,” Brennan said. “I really look forward to joining MassLive’s dedicated team of journalists.”
Brennan was named executive editor of the Cape Cod Times in 2020, simultaneously managing the outlet through the COVID-19 pandemic and growing subscriptions.
When asked why she decided to enter the journalism industry, she said: “The press is one of the few occupations mentioned in the Constitution.”
“It’s meant something to me through my career to hold people accountable, covering the vulnerable and just telling stories in our communities,” Brennan said.
Last November, the Cape Cod Times published “Whitewashed: The story behind Massachusetts’ 20-year failure to address racial profiling,” which uncovered that police in nearly 60 communities skewed data used to probe racial bias.
Brennan added that there are many challenges facing Massachusetts, whether they be housing issues, climate change or economic inequality.
“Our roles as journalists and storytellers has rarely been as important as today with things going on and it’s vital we tell those stories about people and businesses in our community,” she said.
Brennan will oversee MassLive’s continued growth in Greater Boston.
“It’s a privilege to head the Boston bureau and its expansion and I look forward to engaging loyal readers and developing new ones at MassLive,” Brennan said.
Brennan first joined the Cape Cod Times in 1986 before serving in several leadership roles over the next 30 years. She spent four years as editor-in-chief of the MetroWest Daily News and Milford Daily News before returning to the Cape Cod Times to become the executive editor.
She also belongs to the Massachusetts News Publishers Association and Investigative Reporters and Editors. She previously served on boards of directors for Associated Press Media Editors, New England Society of News Editors and the New England New Media Association Board.
“MassLive is building a major news organization across the commonwealth and this marks an important step as we continue to invest in our journalism,” Ronnie Ramos, MassLive’s vice president of content, said in a statement. “Anne is an accomplished leader with life-long experience as a journalist in Massachusetts. Her expertise makes her the ideal editor to lead our expansion in the eastern part of the state.”
MassLive Media President Joshua Macht said, “We are thrilled to welcome Anne.”
“She is precisely the sort of seasoned journalist MassLive needs to help drive our state-wide strategy and build a greater news presence for us in Boston,” Macht said.
Brennan’s hiring comes on the heels of several additions to staff in recent months, including reporters Adam Bass, Charlie McKenna and Hadley Barndollar, as well as multimedia specialist Sebastian Restrepo.
