The Melody announces new executive editor

Joshua Wilson will take the helm as the new executive editor of The Macon Melody starting Sept. 2, the Georgia Trust for Local News announced this week. 

The Mississippi native says his aim is to make The Melody a digital-first newsroom, while also bolstering its print content. 

“Wilson has been at the cutting edge of expanding local journalism beyond the printed page and into the digital space where so many people now receive their community news. But, he still has ink in his veins,” said executive director of the Georgia Trust for Local News DuBose Porter.

He said he believes Wilson understands the role of local papers in documenting history through the day-to-day lens of an entire community. 

“He is a great fit for the Macon-Bibb region and we look forward to his leadership,” Porter said.

Wilson said he sought an organization with a clear vision for how to ensure trust and transparency, while combatting information overload in the journalism industry.

“This is a natural progression in my career,” he said. “I wanted to find an organization that really believed local news was vital to the future of journalism and also to a functioning democracy.”

Wilson comes to The Melody from the University of Southern Mississippi, where he spent several years as an adjunct professor of media literacy and multimedia storytelling. He also served as the community liaison for the university’s Roy Howard Community Journalism Center since 2024. 

Wilson’s career is rooted in his early work as a local journalist for his south Mississippi hometown of Brookhaven, where he wrote obituaries and penned news columns when he was 15 years old. 

“Since then I have been obsessed with telling people’s stories,” said Wilson, noting that journalism fosters curiosity, empathy and a desire to understand the world. 

He earned bachelor’s degrees in social science and English from William Carey University, where he also received a Master of Business Administration. 

Wilson became editor of the college newspaper and later served as the university’s director of media relations and marketing, and taught as an adjunct professor. 

He held other jobs in corporate marketing, but longed for “the authenticity of local news” and sharing stories “important to the flavor of the community.”

In 2020, Wilson became managing editor of a weekly community newspaper and lifestyle magazine in Hattiesburg. 

His coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic reminded him of the importance of local journalism as a “true hub for community,” he said. 

When it came time to start a new chapter in his career, Wilson said the Georgia Trust stood out as an opportunity to be a part of an innovative nonprofit focused on local news. 

“I wanted to be in a place where I felt like I could do great work in a community that needs quality journalism,” he said, noting Macon’s rich Civil Rights and music history.

As a newcomer, Wilson said he will start by earning the community’s trust and encouraging an open door policy in which folks can share what’s on their mind, from constructive criticism to restaurant
recommendations.

He plans to immerse himself in the Macon community, playing active roles in local organizations, talking to residents and working with Melody staff to write stories that shed light on the core issues faced by people in the community.

“I have always been a believer in the power of journalism to do great things — whether that means hold governments accountable, spotlight untold stories, build up unrepresented communities — I think that journalism has a true power and journalists have a very powerful responsibility,” Wilson said.