Sewell Chan

{{Infobox person

| image = Sewell Chan at SXSW 2025 01 (crop).jpg

| caption = Chan (SXSW 2025)

| name = Sewell Chan

| birthname =

| birth_date = {{birth-date and age|August 29, 1977}}

| birth_place = Manhattan, New York City, U.S.

| death_date =

| death_place =

| occupation =

| spouse =

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| education = Harvard University (BA)
Oxford University (MPhil)

| credits = Los Angeles Times (2018–2021)
The New York Times (2004–2018)
The Washington Post (2000–2004)

}}

Sewell Chan is an American journalist based in New York City who was most recently the executive editor of the Columbia Journalism Review. Previously he was the editor-in-chief of The Texas Tribune from 2021 to 2024. Prior to that, Chan held positions at the Los Angeles Times from 2018 to 2021, The New York Times from 2004 to 2018, and The Washington Post 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 and attended New York City public schools and Hunter College High School,{{cite web |url=https://yourhometown.org/podcast/sewell-chan/ |title=Sewell Chan – Queens |last= |first= |date=December 2, 2021 |website=yourhometown.org |publisher=Your Hometown |access-date= |quote=}} where he was the co-editor of the school's independent newspaper, The Observer.{{cite news |title=Changing of the Guard at City Room |url=http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/01/08/city-room/ |newspaper=The New York Times |date=January 8, 2010 |accessdate=2010-05-23}} He graduated from Harvard University with an AB in Social Studies in 1998 and received a Marshall Scholarship for graduate study at Oxford University.{{Cite web |last=harvardgazette |date=2023-02-16 |title=Sewell Chan ’98 is elected chief marshal for class’ 25th reunion |url=https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2023/02/sewell-chan-98-is-elected-chief-marshal-for-class-25th-reunion/ |access-date=2025-04-19 |website=Harvard Gazette |language=en-US}}{{cite news |title=Son of Cab Driver Is Among 40 To Win Marshall Scholarships |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1997/12/12/nyregion/son-of-cab-driver-is-among-40-to-win-marshall-scholarships.html |newspaper=The New York Times |date=December 12, 1997 |accessdate=2010-05-01}} He received his MPhil in politics in 2000.

Career

From 2000 to 2004, Chan wrote for The Washington Post, where he covered municipal politics, poverty and social services, and education.{{cite web |url=https://nationalpress.org/judge/sewell-chan/ |title=National Press Foundation |last= |first= |date= |website=nationalpress.org |publisher=National Press Foundation |access-date= |quote=}} Chan's tenure also included a stint as a correspondent at the Post's 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.{{cite news |title=Byline Beast of N.Y.: Times' Sewell Chan Racks Up 422 in Year |first=Gabriel |last=Sherman |url=http://observer.com/2006/06/byline-beast-of-ny-itimesi-sewell-chan-racks-up-422-in-year/ |newspaper=The New York Observer |date=June 25, 2006 |accessdate=2025-01-12}} The posting in Baghdad lasted only three months.

Chan moved to The New York Times in 2004.{{cite news |title=Byline Beast of N.Y.: Times' Sewell Chan Racks Up 422 in Year |first=Gabriel |last=Sherman |url=http://observer.com/2006/06/byline-beast-of-ny-itimesi-sewell-chan-racks-up-422-in-year/ |newspaper=The New York Observer |date=June 25, 2006 |accessdate=2010-03-04}} In January 2010, Chan joined The Times{{'}}s Washington bureau as a correspondent covering economic policy.{{cite news |title=NYT's Chan heads to D.C.; joins economics team |first=Michael |last=Calderone |url=http://www.politico.com/blogs/michaelcalderone/0110/NYTs_Chan_heads_to_DC_joins_economic_policy_team.html |work=Politico |date=January 8, 2010 |accessdate=2010-03-04}} In February 2011, Chan was named a deputy editor of the Times Op-Ed page and Sunday Review section.{{cite news |title=Chan Named NYT Deputy Op-Ed Editor |first=Jim |last=Romenesko |url=http://www.poynter.org/latest-news/romenesko/120021/chan-named-nyt-deputy-op-ed-editor/ |work=Poynter Institute |date=February 18, 2011 |accessdate=2011-05-16}} From 2015 to 2018, Chan was an International News Editor.{{cite news |date=June 8, 2015 |title=Crossing the Atlantic |url=https://www.nytco.com/crossing-the-atlantic/ |agency=The New York Times Company }}{{cite news |date=August 10, 2017 |title=A New Role for Sewell Chan |url=https://www.nytco.com/sewell-chan-named-international-news-editor/ |agency=The New York Times Company }}

In August 2018, the Los Angeles Times named Chan a deputy managing editor.{{cite news |date=August 20, 2018 |title=Los Angeles Times Names Sewell Chan a Deputy Managing Editor |url=http://www.latimes.com/about/pressreleases/la-mediagroup-20180820-story.html# |work=Los Angeles Times }} In April 2020, he became an editorial page editor, in charge of overseeing the editorial and op-ed pages.{{cite news |date=April 1, 2020|title=Times announces promotions, new roles among newsroom management team |url=https://www.latimes.com/about/pressreleases/story/2020-04-01/times-announces-promotions-new-roles-among-newsroom-management-team |newspaper=Los Angeles Times}} 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.{{cite news |last=Smith |first=Evan |date=August 5, 2021 |title=T-Squared: Sewell Chan is The Texas Tribune's next editor-in-chief |url=https://www.texastribune.org/2021/08/05/texastribune-editor-sewell-chan/ |work=The Texas Tribune |location= |access-date=}}{{cite news |last= |first= |date=September 27, 2020 |title=Editorial: An examination of The Times' failures on race, our apology and a path forward |url=https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2020-09-27/los-angeles-times-apology-racism |work=Los Angeles Times |location= |access-date=}} 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.{{cite web |url=https://www.niemanlab.org/2020/11/why-should-trump-supporters-get-media-coverage-that-other-groups-of-voters-dont/ |title=Why should Trump supporters get media coverage that other groups of voters don't? |last= |first= |date=November 20, 2020 |website=niemanlab.org |publisher=NiemanLab |access-date= |quote=}}

Chan was named The Texas Tribune editor-in-chief effective October 2021.{{cite news |last=Robertson |first=Katie |date=August 5, 2021 |title=Sewell Chan of Los Angeles Times Will Lead Texas Tribune Newsroom |work=The New York Times |location= |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/08/05/business/media/texas-tribune-sewell-chan.html |access-date=}} Chan served as a judge for the American Mosaic Journalism Prize in 2024 and 2025.{{Cite web |date=2024-02-07 |title=Judges |url=https://www.hsfoundation.org/programs/initiatives-journalism/prize/judges/ |access-date=2024-02-07 |website=Heising-Simons Foundation}}{{Cite news |last=Brod |first=Maya |date=2025-02-11 |title=Two Journalists Awarded Nation’s Largest Media Prize for Coverage of Misrepresented Communities, Including Black Americans, Migrant Farmers and Transgender Latinx Groups |url=https://www.hsfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2025-American-Mosaic-Journalism-Prize_Official-Press-Release_2.11.25.pdf |url-status=live |access-date=2025-04-16 |work=Heising-Simons Foundation}}

Chan became the executive editor of the Columbia Journalism Review in September 2024.{{Cite web |last= |first= |title=Sewell Chan appointed executive editor of the Columbia Journalism Review |url=https://www.cjr.org/cjr_outbox/sewell-chan-appointed-executive-editor-of-columbia-journalism-review.php |access-date=2024-09-26 |website=Columbia Journalism Review |language=en}} In April 2025, Columbia University fired Chan from CJR, after a series of complaints about his leadership and treatment of staff.{{cite news |last1=Cherukuri |first1=Tulasi |last2=Pickering |first2=Emily |title=Sewell Chan fired from Columbia Journalism Review after eight months at helm |url=https://www.columbiaspectator.com/news/2025/04/18/sewell-chan-fired-from-columbia-journalism-review-after-eight-months-at-helm/ |access-date=21 April 2025 |publisher=Columbia Spectator}}{{Cite web |last=Burch |first=Sean |date=April 18, 2025 |title=Columbia University Cuts Ties With CJR Executive Editor Sewell Chan |url=https://www.thewrap.com/columbia-university-cuts-sewell-chan-cjr-journalism-review/ |access-date=2025-04-18 |website=The Wrap |language=en}}{{cite news |last1=Robinson |first1=Katie |last2=Mullin |first2=Benjamin |date=18 April 2025 |title=CJR Editor Sewell Chan Is Fired |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/18/business/media/cjr-sewell-chan-fired.html |access-date=19 April 2025 |work=The New York Times |language=en}} Chan denied mistreating any staff.{{Cite news |last=Mullin |first=Benjamin |date=2025-04-23 |title=Columbia Journalism Review Faces the Kind of Crisis It Usually Covers |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/23/business/media/cjr-sewell-chan.html |access-date=2025-04-23 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}