Ryan Jeltema joined The Elkhart Truth as assistant managing editor for digital.
He is working to fine-tune online reporting and social media outreach.
Mark Maley, managing editor of The Truth, said the newspaper is fortunate to have attracted a journalist with a diverse background.
“Not only is Ryan at the top of his game on the digital side of things, but he has a strong understanding of the nuts and bolts of journalism as well,” Maley said.
Most recently, Jeltema worked for news website MLive.com in Michigan.
Prior to that, he reported on government, schools and more for the Greenville Daily News in Greenville, Mich., eventually moving into a news editor role as well as working as a paid on-call firefighter.
Two days before Jeltema started reporting in Greenville, the community was dealt a heavy economic blow. An Electrolux refrigerator factory that was the linchpin of the area’s economy was leaving, and the first round of layoffs put hundreds of people out of work.
“It was a huge transition time for the community,” he said. “Everything depended on that factory.”
His first job was at the Ionia Sentinel-Standard in Ionia, Mich., where he was hired after graduating with a bachelor’s degree from Cornerstone University in Grand Rapids in 2003.
Jeltema said he learned all aspects of the news business in his two years at the Sentinel-Standard. Since it was a small newsroom, he spent time doing photography, video, writing and even designing pages.
At The Truth, Jeltema’s goal is to make content easier for readers to consume, especially on mobile devices, he said.
– The Elkhart Truth
