Current-Argus' editor Jessica Onsurez expands news role to serve Southern New Mexico
Jessica Onsurez, editor of the Carlsbad Current-Argus, will take on an additional role as news director for the USA TODAY NETWORK’s newsrooms in southeastern, central New Mexico.
Tim Archuleta, the network’s Plains Regional Editor that includes Texas and New Mexico, made the announcement on Monday.
Onsurez will continue her duties at the Current-Argus, but work with journalists at the Ruidoso News and the Alamogordo Daily News.
“Jessica is an emerging leader in our nationwide network of diverse, local journalists,” Archuleta said. “She has worked hard to understand the changing behaviors of news consumers while remaining grounded in journalism to protect citizens’ access to their governments, recognize what makes communities unique and help readers answer questions to care for their families.”
Meet Jessica Onsurez
Onsurez, who has been the managing editor for two years, returned to Carlsbad in 2013 as a breaking news reporter. Her experience spans across education, government and data reporting.
During her tenure with the Current-Argus, she received awards for her breaking news reporting and photojournalism by the New Mexico Press Association. In 2018, she was among western journalists recognized for their reporting on economic change in New Mexico.
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She was recently elected secretary of Society of Professional Journalists Rio Grande Chapter and is on the board of New Mexico In Depth, a nonprofit organization committed to investigative journalism in New Mexico.
Onsurez is a graduate of Eastern New Mexico University. She holds a master's degree in digital journalism from American University in Washington, D.C.
She returned to southeast New Mexico after completing service in the U.S. Peace Corps. Prior to her Peace Corps service, Onsurez worked in the office of former U. S. Sen. Pete Dominici, an Albuquerque Republican.
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She now lives in Loving, where she has extended family, and is part of a long line of farmers and ranchers. She currently serves on several community boards, including the Carlsbad Rotary Club and Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce Education Committee.
Focused on local journalism
"As the journalism industry changes, it's vitally important to support local journalism and to equip local reporters with tools that allow them to continue to better serve our loyal readers and ever-growing digital audience," Onsurez said.
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"Local journalism connects readers with information that helps them make smart decisions for their families and plays a crucial role in monitoring our elected officials. The reporting they produce shapes conversation and change for the better. It's local journalism, like the recently produced series on challenges in the housing industry in southeast New Mexico by the staff at the Current-Argus, that makes me especially proud to be a part of this industry.
"You can expect the same journalism from your local reporters, with a new focus on breaking and enterprise news. I look forward to working with The Ruidoso News and Alamogordo Daily journalists in my new role."
Working to serve Southern New Mexico
The newsrooms will also join a group of Texas-New Mexico reporters focused on producing enterprise and explanatory journalism around important topics like the oil and gas industry, immigration, economic inequality and tourism.
She will help guide coverage on top stories developing in New Mexico and collaborate with journalists in El Paso and Las Cruces.
How to share a news tip
If you have suggestions for coverage in your community or tips for your local newsroom, please reach out.
Jessica Onsurez can be contacted by email at jonsurez@currentargus.com or by phone at 575-628-5531. Follow her on Twitter at @JussGREAT or find her on Facebook at facebook.com/jessica.onsurez.