Aaron Sanderford picked as editor of Nebraska Examiner as Cate Folsom retires

Aaron Sanderford has been named the new editor-in-chief of the Nebraska Examiner. 

He is replacing Cate Folsom, who is retiring. Folsom has served as editor-in-chief since the Examiner was launched in January 2022.

Sanderford has tackled various news roles in his 20-plus year career. He has reported on politics, crime, courts, government and business for the Omaha World-Herald and Lincoln Journal-Star. He later worked for KMTV 3 in Omaha as its lead investigative reporter.

Sanderford, a North Carolina native, also spent several years as an assignment editor and worked two stints as an editorial writer. From 2005 to 2007, he served as communications director for then-Nebraska Gov. Dave Heineman. 

He holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Kentucky and is finishing a master’s degree this month from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in journalism and mass communications.

Sanderford begins his new role Dec. 20. 

Folsom led the Examiner after retiring in 2019 after a 40-year journalism career at the Omaha World-Herald, where she worked in a variety of reporting and editing roles, including metro-regional editor and editorial page editor. She led numerous significant projects over the years, both at the World-Herald and the Examiner. Among them: a narrative journalism series about average students called “Lost in High School”; a series revealing systemic errors in calculating state prison sentences; an investigation detailing eight young women’s allegations of being groped by a candidate for governor; and stories raising questions about conflicts of interest and improper use of state email that led a state department head to resign within days.

The Examiner is part of States Newsroom, the nation’s largest state-focused nonprofit news organization. The network provides reporting from every capital, with a focus on shining a light on policy and politics in all 50 states. Coverage is provided free of charge, without pop-ups, paywalls or ads.