Margaret Kenny Giancola named editor-in-chief of The Buffalo News (2025)

Margaret Kenny Giancola has been named editor-in-chief of The Buffalo News, elevating her to the top newsroom position at her hometown newspaper where she first started as an intern.

“Since arriving here as an intern three decades ago, I’ve been focused on the important work of daily journalism in my hometown,” said Kenny, who last week marked her 30th anniversary at The News. “My roles have changed, but that focus remains the same today.”

Kenny, a Buffalo native, becomes the ninth editor in The News’ 144-year history and the second who is a graduate of Nardin Academy, joining Margaret M. Sullivan on that list. Kenny, 52, had been the managing editor for the past year, one of the many roles she’s held at The News over the years as she rose through the ranks.

Jason Adrians, vice president for local news at Lee Enterprises, said Kenny is the type of leader The News needs to build a sustainable local news model for readers in Western New York.

“Her thoughtful leadership style, strategic and earnest approach to connecting with subscribers, keen eye for nurturing talent, wealth of experience in the market and the relationships she’s built with all of you and our readers make Margaret the best leader for The Buffalo News,” he said in an email to the newsroom Tuesday morning.

Kenny replaces Sheila Rayam, who was named editor in August 2022.

Kenny takes the helm at a difficult time in the news industry, with many media organizations – including Lee, the corporate parent of The News – undergoing layoffs this year amid continued advertising losses and a decline in print readership. But there are digital opportunities in the industry, and Kenny said she plans on “doubling down” on The News’ focus on in-depth, enterprise journalism that is capable of driving digital subscriptions and reader engagement.

“She brings a wealth of knowledge and experience, a vision for our local news team, and an incredible track record of success,” News President and Publisher Tom Wiley said. “I’m looking forward to seeing the innovations and journalistic excellence she will lead.”

‘My hometown paper’

As a child, Kenny knew she wanted to work at her hometown newspaper, The Buffalo News.

She was editor of her high school newspaper. And during college, Kenny landed a summer internship at The News in 1993. After graduating in 1994 from the University of Notre Dame, she returned to The News as an intern, and then was hired to a full-time position on the copy desk that October.

“When I was 22, I was just so excited to be here that I really didn’t think that far in the future,” Kenny said in an interview Tuesday. “I always knew I wanted to have an impact on our newsroom, but I never really thought too specifically what that was.”

Over the last three decades, Kenny has been involved in almost every part of the news operation.

She also is a former Buffalo Newspaper Guild member and, as a part of newsroom management, has negotiated four collective bargaining contracts with the largest union at The News.

Kenny served in a variety of editing positions, overseeing the production and design of The News when it was exclusively a print endeavor, and then transitioning to management of the digital operation for the past 12 years.

In 2018, she was named deputy managing editor, a job that called for overseeing everything The News published.

In a column announcing her promotion, then-Editor Mike Connelly wrote: “The best way to describe Kenny’s job: She is in charge of publishing. That ranges from minute-by-minute BuffaloNews.com story play to deciding what goes on Page One of the newspaper; from re-engineering how the newsroom produces the newspaper to rethinking our digital publications.”

Now, Kenny steps in to the top newsroom position.

“Being the editor of my hometown paper is an honor and a privilege that I won’t take for granted,” she said.

A focus on enterprise journalism

Amid the ups and downs of the industry, Kenny told staff Tuesday that the work the newsroom does “is more important than ever.”

“Our newsroom is smaller, but still mighty,” she said of the 65-person news operation. “We still have the most talented staff in the region, hands down, and I truly believe that we have what it takes to figure out the future.”

She said The News will continue to focus on in-depth enterprise journalism, the kinds of stories that differentiate The News from its competitors and drive reader engagement.

For the last decade, Kenny has had a direct role in how the newsroom operates and the journalism it produces.

During that time, The News has provided deep reporting on many major events that have hit the area, including coverage of the November 2014 snowstorm – for which The News was a Pulitzer Prize finalist in the breaking news category – as well as the 2022 Christmas week blizzard and the mass shooting at Tops Markets on Jefferson Avenue on May 14, 2022.

“Our mission is unchanged: Enterprise journalism is at the heart of our newsroom, and will remain so,” Kenny said. “At the same time, we need to be more enterprising, more curious, more unique, more interesting.”

‘You’re among friends’

Kenny addressed newsroom staff at 11:30 a.m. Tuesday by sharing a story about the late Warren T. Colville, the former president and publisher of The News who died late Monday at age 80.

About a decade ago, The News had regular monthly meetings, with different departments and leaders presenting every month. One month, it was the newsroom’s turn to present and Kenny, terrified of public speaking at the time, prepared the night before, but was unable to sleep.

The next day, Colville could see Kenny was nervous. He approached her and put his arm around her.

“You don’t need to be nervous,” Colville told her. “You’re among friends.”

Thinking back Tuesday as she addressed her colleagues, Kenny thought of Colville’s kindness in that moment and how much she’s been through with friends over the last three decades.

“That’s one of the things that’s meaningful for me about all of this – I mean, I literally grew up in this newsroom. I was 22 when I started,” Kenny said. “And, you know, really great things have happened here, and some really, really devastating things through the years, but we’ve all kind of gotten through things together as a group. And I’m really proud to be leading that group now.”