Manny García is packing his bags and heading to Houston as the new top gun at Houston Landing, the news outlet has announced. García, known for his hard-hitting journalism and no-nonsense leadership, will be taking up the reins as editor-in-chief with Angel Rodríguez right by his side as managing editor. This heavyweight duo is expected to shake things up in the Texan news scene, with García bringing his award-winning experience and Rodríguez wielding his expertise in digital storytelling and Latino initiatives.
Accolades are no stranger to García, who snagged the Benjamin C. Bradlee Editor of the Year Award in 2022 while at the helm of the Austin American-Statesman. His time in Austin was marked by dogged reporting on the tragic Uvalde school shooting, which snagged the Statesman a spot as a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service in 2023. "Manny and Angel... bring decades of experience, leadership, and success in our field, an appreciation of the digital world, and a commitment to Houston," Peter Bhatia, CEO of Houston Landing, said praising the new leadership team, as reported by the Houston Landing.
García, a Cuban native raised in Miami, is no stranger to the struggles of a multilingual community. He spearheaded the translation of the Uvalde shooting report into Spanish, making it accessible to a community where half speak a language other than English at home. The proactive approach involved getting 10,000 copies into the hands of Uvalde residents, free of charge, as per the Austin American-Statesman.
Joining García is Rodríguez, a true son of Houston with a strong sense of city pride and an equal measure of journalistic ambition. His rise includes stints at The Washington Post, The Cincinnati Enquirer, and The Arizona Republic. "Houston is magical, soulful, and creative," García said, in a statement obtained by the Houston Landing. García's history of bolstering the newsrooms he leads and his commitment to ethical journalism underlines his readiness to tackle Houston's complex tapestry of issues.
