Brad Racino named Floodlight editor-in-chief

Floodlight has chosen Brad Racino as our next editor-in-chief after a highly competitive national search that drew 240 candidates.

Before joining Floodlight, Racino was the managing editor at New York Focus, a statewide nonprofit newsroom covering power and policy in the state. He previously served as editor and publisher at New York Cannabis Insider, building it into the state's leading source of industry coverage. 

Earlier in his career, Racino spent nearly a decade as an investigative reporter and editor at inewsource in San Diego, helping grow the newsroom while producing cross-platform work with media partners.

Racino is a national award-winning multimedia journalist whose work in TV, radio, print and digital has earned more than 100 state, regional and national honors, including two IRE medals, two national Edward R. Murrow awards, two Golden Mike Awards, a Meyer "Mike" Berger award from Columbia Journalism School and a national Emmy nomination. His first day will be Jan. 5.

Racino will take over for Dee J. Hall, who is retiring in early January as editor-in-chief after nearly 50 years in journalism.

Racino’s former boss at inewsource, Executive Director Lorie Hearn, said Racino is the "most natural investigative reporter" she's ever worked with. Racino rose from intern to one of the top managers at inewsource, Hearn noted, adding that he has deep skills in photography, videography, social media and fact-checking. Floodlight is “lucky to get him,” Hearn said.

Floodlight is an independent nonpartisan nonprofit newsroom that investigates the powers stalling climate action. Founded in 2021, Floodlight partners with local, state and national news organizations and distributes its stories for free to hundreds of outlets. 

“As Floodlight approaches its five-year anniversary, we are deepening our investigations into the forces fueling the climate crisis and quickly expanding our reach and engagement, by working with more partners and investing in video reporting,” said Emily Holden, Floodlight founder and executive director. “With his deep multiplatform skills and expertise, Racino is uniquely suited to lead Floodlight through this growth phase, joining a team of award-winning journalists.”