Inlander names new editor: Dan Nailen

Previously the managing editor of the Inlander, overseeing arts and culture coverage, Dan Nailen has been named editor of the Inlander.

Nailen previously reported and edited for The Salt Lake Tribune, Salt Lake City Weekly, Missoula Independent, Salt Lake Magazine, The Oregonian and KUER-FM, Utah’s NPR station. His first daily newspaper job was at the Moscow-Pullman Daily News; he started with the Inlander in 2014.

Nailen grew up seeing the country in an Air Force family and studied at the University of Utah and University of Montana. Live music, movies, good food and whiskey on ice are among his personal interests.

“We’re so excited to move Dan up, as he’s already a key part of our leadership team,” says Ted McGregor Jr., publisher of the Inlander. “The Inland Northwest — this is a dynamic, growing place we cover, and Dan has made deep connections here. Dan, and the team, will continue to deliver the stories that define and inform us as a community, and help us connect with each other.”

Nailen will lead an editorial operation that includes the weekly newspaper, daily news and features on inlander.com and a variety of glossy publications like Annual Manual, Inlander Health & Home and many others.

Nailen replaces longtime Inlander editor Jacob Fries, who will continue his career in journalism as executive director of InvestigateWest, a nonprofit investigative journalism institution dedicated to digging deeper into the stories that affect the Pacific Northwest.

Fries started with the Inlander as a freelancer in between journalism jobs all the way back in 2004; he joined full time in 2008 and was named editor in 2012.

“Jacob took what was a news operation aspiring to be great and made it into reality,” says McGregor. “Under Jacob’s leadership, the Inlander has made a difference — shining a light on treating mental illness, local policing and racial injustice, just as a few examples. Our reporting has led to policy reforms and I believe a better-informed community. He has also mentored a series of impressive journalists who are making their mark on the profession, including our current team."

“We will all miss Jacob,” McGregor adds, “but we’re also excited for what’s next for him.”