Michael Shearer
Biography
Michael Shearer currently serves as editor of the Akron Beacon Journal and regional editor for Gannett’s USA TODAY Network in northern Ohio. He’s responsible for leading journalists in 11 markets beyond Akron, including Canton.
He's worked as a top newsroom editor since 2000 and previously oversaw 10 Gannett newspapers across Ohio before moving to northeast Ohio in 2017 to serve as regional editor for GateHouse Media, which acquired the Beacon Journal in 2018 and then merged with Gannett. He also was editor and general manager of the Record-Courier in Kent, Ohio, from 2017 to 2019.
A graduate of Ohio University with a bachelor’s degree in journalism, Shearer has won numerous awards for editorial writing, including first place in 2018 from the Ohio APME. Shearer won a Gannett President’s Ring in 2009 for a news restructuring project.
BeaconJournal.com won best website in Ohio from the Cleveland Press Club for 2021.
