Talking to Each Other in the Age of Trump and Twitter

David Plazas serves as editorial writer, a columnist and editorial board member. He arrived in Nashville in November 2014 and previously worked at The News-Press in Fort Myers, Florida, as a digital engagement editor, community conversation editor, Spanish-language community weekly editor and reporter, specializing in K-12 and higher education coverage.

His work has been recognized globally, nationally and statewide. In April 2016 he received the Tennessee Associated Press’ first-place award for best editorials in the state. In 2016 his work on transit solutions in Nashville earned him an honorable mention from the national Associated Press Media Editors Innovation in Journalism Community Engagement competition and a finalist designation for Editor & Publisher’s international EPPY Awards competition. He was a Kiplinger Fellow at Ohio State University in 2013, focusing on public service journalism for digital audiences. He has been invited to participate in roundtables on the future of journalism by the American Society of News Editors. He is also a trainer and mentor for young journalists, having worked on, organized and led student boot camps since 2009, most recently in Miami in April 2016.

Plazas holds a bachelor’s degree in political science and Spanish and a master’s in journalism, both from Northwestern University in the Chicago area, and an MBA from Florida Gulf Coast University in Fort Myers. At The Tennessean he has focused on transportation and infrastructure, housing, public education, government accountability, health care and economic development. He served as moderator for three Nashville mayoral debates in 2015, which were broadcast live by WSMV Channel 4 at Belmont University.

A Chicago native, Plazas and his husband Darren Bradford are active members of their neighborhood association in Salemtown. They have two Chihuahuas, Zohie and Bandit.