Rick Fahr named Southeast Missourian managing editor

Veteran newspaper editor and former publisher Rick Fahr has been named managing editor of the Southeast Missourian, which he joined in 2018 as a copy editor.

Fahr has managed newsrooms in several Arkansas communities including Russellville, Jonesboro, El Dorado and Conway. For more than a decade, he served as a political and business analyst for Arkansas Education Television Network’s “Arkansas Week.” He is a former Stephens Media Group syndicated columnist and served as president of the Arkansas Associated Press Managing Editors group.

Fahr is in his second stint with Rust Communications, which owns the Southeast Missourian, having served as managing editor of the company’s operations in Carroll County, Arkansas, in 1999 and 2000.

“Rick has been a successful editor at several papers and, as a former publisher, knows the important role that they play in a community,” said Jon K. Rust, publisher of the Southeast Missourian and co-president of Rust Communications. “He also knows the Cape Girardeau area, as he’s been a standout leader on the Southeast Missourian copy desk the past couple years. As we continue to assess future personnel needs in the newsroom, we have confidence in Rick managing newsroom operations as the new managing editor.”

Fahr enlisted in the Arkansas Army National Guard in the wake of the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, and served nine years in the military including two tours of duty overseas — at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, and in Iraq for which he was awarded the Bronze Star for his service.

“I look forward to continuing high-quality community journalism at the Southeast Missourian,” Fahr said. “We will continue to hold public figures accountable while informing and entertaining readers and visitors to our digital products.

“If I had to point to one thing I want to focus on, it’s ensuring the content we create is not only important and relevant, but also interesting and entertaining,” he said.

A native of Northeast Arkansas, Fahr received a Bachelor of Arts in communications from Lyon College in Batesville, Arkansas, and is pursuing a Master of Arts in English studies at Southeast Missouri State University.

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