Journal announces newsroom restructuring, names two managing editors

The Albuquerque Journal has named co-managing editors and has restructured its newsroom as it continues to push toward a more modern and digitally focused future while still printing New Mexico’s highest circulation daily newspaper.

Donn Friedman, a 37-year veteran of the paper, will serve as assistant managing editor of news and presentation, overseeing the Journal’s business, news, design and visuals desks. And Lucas Peerman, who joined the Journal in 2023, most recently serving as sports editor, was named assistant managing editor of sports and features, overseeing the sports and features/entertainment desks.

In announcing the changes to the newsroom on Thursday, Executive Editor Patrick Ethridge said the Journal’s city desk is rebranding as the news desk, which he says makes sense considering it has traditionally covered the entire state and not only Albuquerque.

“Both will be highly involved in developing the Journal’s content strategy while also working to develop our journalists into the most modern and true form of multimedia journalists,” said Ethridge.

The restructuring of the newsroom comes as the Journal looks at ways to improve its digital offerings, meeting readers where they are now consuming news the most — like on their phones, tablets and computers. It also follows the appointment of Rozanna Martinez to entertainment editor and the return of two former Journal reporters to the staff.

For Friedman, who started on the Journal’s copy desk, the new role fits naturally into work he’s already done at the paper. In the early 2000s, Friedman said, he helped lead the Journal into the age of digital print production — working with both the pressroom and systems department at the time. He is also a board member of the New Mexico Press Association.

Peerman came to the Journal in January of last year from the Las Cruces Sun-News, where he last served as news editor. He had been at the Las Cruces paper since 2004 — starting as editor of Pulse, the now-defunct weekly entertainment magazine, and later served as digital editor. Peerman is vice president of the New Mexico Foundation for Open Government’s executive committee.

“The Journal wants to be your source of information no matter how you choose to consume stories, whether that be in print, on your phone, or even on podcasts,” Peerman said. “This change will streamline our abilities to do that effectively.”