SAN continues newsroom growth and invests in new programming, innovative storytelling, and enhanced reporting capabilities
Straight Arrow News (SAN), the independent news publisher dedicated to unbiased, fact-based journalism, has announced the addition of a new Chief Content Officer, Derek Mead. Mead will set the strategy for the newsroom’s editorial, video production, and digital content, continuing SAN’s high-quality, fact-based coverage. He will oversee the effort to enhance the storytelling capacity of SAN, expanding news coverage, supporting unbiased pieces, and fostering more collegial discussion around the hardest issues facing this country.
Mead joins SAN with a wealth of experience as a career journalist in print, digital, broadcast, and documentary journalism. He was previously editor-in-chief of VICE, leading the publication's North American newsrooms. Derek’s vast international news experience includes expanding VICE’s newsroom footprint across 35 countries. Prior to joining VICE, Mead was the editor-in-chief of Motherboard. Mead also founded the Emmy-nominated documentary production company Earthbound Pictures.
“Since the launch of SAN, we have always put our audience first through rigorous journalistic standards and the pursuit of unbiased news,” said Joe Ricketts, CEO and Founder of Straight Arrow News. “Not only is Derek a proven leader in the media space, but he is also a trendsetter committed to transforming newsrooms. As our audience continues to grow, we’re confident in Derek’s leadership of our newsroom and expanding on our vision for the company.”
“I am thrilled to be joining SAN at a moment when people need a new way to engage with news,” said Derek Mead, Chief Content Officer at SAN. “SAN is investing heavily to redefine what news can and should be. We are raising the bar for the industry and are committed to helping deliver the news in a way that is transparent, useful, and actually enjoyable.”
SAN has seen accelerated growth in readership over the past two quarters, with total pageviews across channels jumping 444% in February 2025 from September 2024. Additionally, SAN has been awarded a perfect 100/100 score from NewsGuard, the independent provider of transparent tools to counter misinformation, and a Certified Balanced status by AllSides, a leading media bias rating service.
ABOUT Straight Arrow News (SAN)
Straight Arrow News (SAN) is an emerging, independent digital news outlet with the editorial mission to bridge the national divide through unbiased, fact-based journalism in an environment where media mistrust is at an all-time high. SAN reports the facts in context, avoiding bias, spin, or filter. Daily and investigative reports, exclusive interviews, and opinion content can be found at www.san.com and on the SAN mobile app available on Android and iOS.
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