John Danna Email Address

Senior Reporter

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John D’Anna is the Page 1 editor at the Arizona Republic, where he exhorts his colleagues to afflict the comfortable, comfort the afflicted and bring him donuts. Previously he was a humble community editor, and before that he was a senior platform manager, which is what they inexplicably decided to call the metro editor several reorgs back. In 23 years at the Republic, he's been a deputy managing editor, public editor, senior editor, projects editor, enviro-blogger, deputy city editor and assistant city editor, but not all at once. He directed award-winning investigative projects, oversaw the Republic's Millennial redesign and was one of Gannett's top 16 newsroom supervisors nationwide in 2003. He was a key member of the editing teams that covered the shooting of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and 18 others in Tucson in 2011 and the Yarnell Hill Fire, which killed 19 wild land firefighters in 2013. Both efforts were Pulitzer finalists. In previous lives he was an editor and reporter at the Mesa Tribune; and a reporter at the Oakland Tribune, where he once interviewed Morris the Cat and the governor of California on the same day. It was the first time he can ever recall preferring the company of a cat. When not toiling in the newsroom, he is a faculty associate at Arizona State University's Cronkite School of Journalism and Stuff, where he exhorts his students to get the facts right, get the right facts and bring him donuts.He also guest lectures on media law and journalism, which he does for free so he can rationalize not donating to his alumni association. He serves on the University of Arizona Journalism School advisory council and is vice president of the Arizona First Amendment Coalition, which serves him right for ditching the meeting where they elected officers. In his spare time, he somehow managed to get his MBA (yeah, at his age). He also plays hockey and is a fourth-degree black belt and 2012 world champion in Taekwondo (yeah, at his age). Specialties: D'Anna successfully oversaw two legal cases for the Republic: a 9th Circuit mandamus involving the criminal trial of Gov. Symington; and a public records suit vs. the state education department over standardized test questions. Both efforts were honored with FOI awards, and he enjoyed the banquets very much. D'Anna recently was roped into being vice president of the Arizona First Amendment Coalition, which serves him right for missing the meeting where they elected officers, .