Hall of Fame - Thomas E. Heslin
Thomas E. Heslin
Executive Editor, Providence Journal
As Executive Editor of The Providence Journal since 2008, Tom has led his news organization through a tumultuous time in the newspaper industry, maintaining an insistence on bulletproof reporting, excellent visual display and high-quality writing and editing. He directed a news team that won a Pulitzer Prize in 1994 for investigative reporting, and in his role as the company’s first Managing Editor for New Media he broke new ground by embracing new ways of storytelling -- including slideshows, video, audio and interactive graphics. He fostered the integration of the then-separate online and newspaper staffs and demanded all-day online news coverage, which became a model nationwide. Prior to joining The Providence Journal in 1981, Tom worked at various newspapers across New England. Based on his wide experience and belief in the principles of the First Amendment, Tom eventually wove together a group of colleagues to found the New England First Amendment Coalition (NEFAC).