Segal named editor at The State after search by McClatchy
Chris Segal, a North Carolina native and former editor of The Sun News in Myrtle Beach, has been named executive editor of The State, succeeding Brian Tolley as leader of the Columbia newsroom.
Segal, 39, came to The State last fall to oversee metro news reporters and has most recently been in charge of the newsroom following Tolley’s retirement in March. He was among three finalists for the job.
Nicole Stockdale, McClatchy’s senior vice-president for local news in the Carolinas, announced Segal’s hiring during the newsroom’s staff meeting Thursday morning. Segal said he’s ready for the challenge and looks forward to directing what he called an energetic and talented staff.
“The State stands apart in our expertise and our history and our ability to bring people together,’’ he said. “It’s a great newsroom that people want to stay in and work at.’’
Segal said that, as editor, he’ll stress local stories that include a mixture of daily news and enterprise pieces. Accountability journalism will be an important part of The State’s mission, Segal said.
But he noted that The State has challenges ahead.
Segal said the newsroom must use various digital platforms and ways of telling stories to get the message out as the media landscape changes. The State will use platforms such as TikTok, for instance, in addition to its website, to inform the public, he said.
“I want readers to know these are uncertain and challenging times in business, including the journalism business,’’ he said. “We have a lot of work to regain the trust of readers.’’
Stockdale said Segal got the executive editor’s post because he has clear priorities and a solid background in journalism. She said he has strong planning skills, “a heart for journalism, and an optimism that there is so much promise to build on the momentum you already have.’’
Born in Gastonia, N.C., Segal grew up in southern California. He graduated from Pepperdine University with a journalism degree, and he later received an MBA from the University of Mount Olive in North Carolina.
His first journalism job was in the pressroom at the Orange County Register working a night shift on the paper’s printing operation.
His background includes time as a reporter in Panama City, Fla. He moved to North Carolina to work as an editor in 2012.
He has served as an editor in New Bern, N.C., and as a regional executive editor for GateHouse Media, overseeing newspapers in Jacksonville, New Bern and Kinston, N.C.
He was the senior editor at The Sun News from May 2022 until October 2025, when he was hired at The State. Segal said he’s appreciative of the opportunity Tolley gave him to work in Columbia. He replaced longtime associate editor Paul Osmundson at The State in October 2025.
Segal lives in the Harbison area of metropolitan Columbia with his partner, Michael McNulty, an intensive care nurse. They live with a new golden retriever puppy named Scotty.
The State, founded in 1891, is owned by McClatchy, a national media company with a string of newspapers across the country, including the Charlotte Observer, The News and Observer of Raleigh, the Miami Herald and The Kansas City Star. In addition to The State, McClatchy’s South Carolina holdings are the Herald in Rock Hill, The Sun News in Myrtle Beach and the Island Packet in Hilton Head Island.
