Honolulu Weekly is pleased to welcome Chris Haire on board as the paper’s new editor. Haire comes to us from the Atlantic Coast where he most recently served as a freelance reporter, columnist and critic for Boston’s Weekly Dig. During this period, he was also a regular contributor to Charleston City Paper, Orlando Weekly and Philadelphia Weekly.

Previously, Haire was the editor for Greenville, S.C.,-based Metrobeat, which won four awards from the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies under his guidance.

“I can’t even begin to express my excitement about working for Honolulu Weekly,” Haire says. “The paper’s publisher, Laurie Carlson, has a really great paper on her hands, and she’s managed to assemble a top-notch team who knows that a true alt-weekly has to be more than just an alternative to the mainstream media. It has to be better.”

Haire adds, “Honolulu Weekly is just the kind of paper I’ve been searching for. It’s not afraid to topple sacred cows. It’s committed to providing the most comprehensive listings to its readers. And its staff is dedicated to making sure that the paper’s arts and entertainment coverage is not only authoritative and informed, but more intensely focused on the local culture than other alt-weeklies. After all, we’re talking about Honolulu, Hawai’i.”

In the coming months, Haire plans to recommit the Weekly to its political coverage and to its roots as an advocate of the people. “Honolulu Weekly is not part of some monolithic chain. It’s not beholden to some investment firm on Wall Street. It’s independently owned and operated,” Haire says. “The dailies have failed time and time again to stand up for the interests of their readers. They’d much rather stand up for the interests of their shareholders. But we haven’t forgotten whose interests we serve — our readers and the community at large. Look for us to continue doing that.”

For further information, please contact Laurie Carlson at (808) 528-91475 x17.