John McKay has served as editor of Plymouth-Canton Patch from 2011-2013 and Rochester-Rochester Hills Patch since March 2013.

John came to Patch in 2011 after two years of living and working in Port Huron, where he served as a copy editor, paginator and blogger for the Times Herald (Gannett). 

A lifelong Michigander, John was raised in Fenton and is a graduate of Fenton High School. John cut his teeth as a reporter working for the Tri-County Times, one of the state's largest semiweekly newspapers, where he covered the Fenton and Linden school districts, as well as Fenton, Fenton Township, Holly, Linden, Rose Township and Tyrone Township government and community affairs.

John is a journalism graduate from the University of Michigan-Flint, where he served as managing editor of the Michigan Times, its student newspaper.

John's incisive reporting and willingness to embrace new media and multimedia reporting at his college newspaper led to him receiving the Michigan Press Association's (MPA) first-place Journalist of the Year award in 2008. He's also received a variety of MPA honors for columnist, video production, reviews and sports features at both the collegiate and professional level.

Nicole Krawcke is the editor of Plymouth-Canton Patch.

Nicole grew up in Macomb County and fell in love with journalism while writing for her high school paper. She has a bachelor's degree in journalism from Michigan State University and is absolutely thrilled to be using it to contribute to Patch. She has had the privilege of having her articles published in newspapers across Michigan as a MSU Capital News Service Correspondent. Before that, she was honored as a Michigan Press Association Scholarship awardee for two years while interning with The Bay Voice and The Armada Times, where she learned the importance of community journalism. Nicole is excited to start learning about the Brighton community and meet all of its people.

Amanda started her career at CNN in 1998. As a newswriter and producer, she covered  local, national and international news. In 2005, she became a stay-at-home mom and a freelance writer, a decision that eventually led her to cover parenting issues for Parents magazine. Before living and working in Atlanta, Amanda graduated from Tulane University with an English degree and a deep affection for New Orleans. She is the mother of two children, who often prove to be the best source of story ideas. 

Susanne has worked in advertising and marketing for over 20 years, most recently for a boutique agency in Ann Arbor. She enjoys helping small businesses harness the power of the Internet and social media to grow their customer base and increase sales. 

Contact her at 248.719.8427 or susanne.spruit@patch.com when you want to learn how to advertise your business on Patch.

Phil Meyer is Professor Emeritus in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and was inducted into the North Carolina Hall of Fame in Journalism in the spring of 2008.  He joined the Journalism School in 1981 and served as Knight Chair in Journalism Professor from 1993-2008.  Prior to joining the school, he held a number of reporter and research positions at various media outlets. 

He has won numerous awards including the 2005 Sigma Delta Chi Distinguished Service Award for Research About Journalism (with Scott Maier). He was named a Fellow of Society of Professional Journalists in 2005. In 2004, the Newspaper Division of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication gave him its Professional Freedom and Responsibility Award. And in 2000 he received the American Association for Public Opinion Research Award for Exceptionally Distinguished Achievement.

Meyer is the author of several books including The Vanishing Newspaper:  Saving Journalism in the Information Age and Precision Journalism:  A Reporter’s Introduction to Social Science Methods.  Journalism Quarterly in 2000 listed this book as one of the 35 significant books of the 20th century in journalism and mass communication; and the American Association for Public Opinion Research, observing its 50th anniversary in 1996, listed it as one of 50 significant books on public opinion research.

He received his B.S. in technical journalism from Kansas State University and his M.A. in political science from the University of North Carolina.

Steven Berlin Johnson is a pioneer in the web world, as a co-founder of FEED, Plastic.com, and Outside.in, which was acquired by Patch in March of 2011. He also co-created Findings.com, which launched in late 2011. Steven was the 2009 Hearst New Media Professional-in-Residence at The Journalism School at Columbia University, and served for several years as a Distinguished Writer in Residence at NYU’s Journalism School. He is a bestselling author of seven books, and won acclaim and a Newhouse School Mirror Award for his 2010 Time Magazine cover story, "How Twitter Will Change the Way We Live." 

Speaking of Steven's editorial prowess, check out this video based on Steven's book, Where Good Ideas Come From, which was named one of the best books of 2010 by The Economist.

Brian was Editor-in-Chief of Time Out New York magazine before coming to Patch. Before that he worked for a variety of publications both online and off, including Details magazine, New York Magazine, and the old, dearly departed Sidewalk.com. He has written for numerous publications, from the New York Times magazine to Harper's Bazaar. He graduated from Bowdoin College and got an MFA in creative writing at Columbia University so he could put his novel in a drawer with distinction. He lives in Manhattan with his beautiful wife, adorable son, angelic daughter and the world's most dog-like cat. He’s proud as hell of what the Patch team has built.

Ken Paulson is president and chief executive officer of the First Amendment Center at Vanderbilt University and in Washington, D.C.

Previously, Paulson served as the editor and senior vice president/news of USA Today.  He is now a columnist on USA Today’s board of contributors, writing about First Amendment issues and the news media.

Throughout his career, Paulson has drawn on his background as both a journalist and lawyer, serving as the editor or managing editor of newspapers in five different states.

He also is past-president of the American Society of News Editors, the nation’s largest organization of news media leaders.

Paulson also was the host of the Emmy-honored television program “Speaking Freely,” seen in more than 60 PBS markets nationwide over five seasons, and the author of "Freedom Sings," a multimedia stage show celebrating the First Amendment that continues to tour the nation's campuses.  

He was an early advocate of making newspaper content available online, launching online newspapers in both Florida and New York in 1993.

For 12 years, Paulson was a regular guest lecturer at the American Press Institute, speaking to more than 5,000 journalists about First Amendment issues. He was honored with the API Lifetime Service Award. In 2010 and 2011, he served as chair of the PBS Editorial Standards Review Committee.

In 2007, Paulson was named fellow of the Society of Professional Journalists, “the highest honor SPJ bestows upon a journalist for extraordinary contributions to the profession.” In 2008, he  received the Robert S. Abbott Memorial Award for Meritorious Service in Mass Communications from the Southern Regional Press Institute. He has also been elected to the Illini Publishing Hall of Fame at the University of Illinois.

He is a graduate of the University of Illinois College of Law and the University of Missouri School of Journalism. He also has served as an adjunct professor at Vanderbilt University Law School. In 2008, he received an honorary doctorate in Humane Letters from American University.