Decatur, GA — Decaturish is proud to announce the promotion of Zoe Seiler to assistant editor.

In her new role, Seiler will continue to cover her usual beats but will also take a more active role in coordinating coverage with our team of talented freelancers and helping us improve our internal processes as we grow our company. She will have a pivotal part to play in covering elections in 2024.

“This is an important year for us and Zoe is an indispensable part of our team,” Decaturish editor, publisher, and owner Dan Whisenhunt said. “Since joining Decaturish as a freelancer in 2019, she has proven to be a capable and diligent reporter. She’s passionate about covering our community and is fully bought into our mission of telling the untold stories of DeKalb County. It was a no-brainer to make her our first full-time reporter in 2021, and I feel the same way about promoting her to assistant editor. She is a rising star and I could not be prouder of the work she does for us.”

Whisenhunt added that Seiler’s work would not be possible without the support of our paying subscribers. To become a subscriber, click here.

Seiler, a native of Des Moines, Iowa, is a 2019 graduate of Simpson College in Indianola. She currently covers Decatur, Avondale Estates, and the Legislature, among other topics. During her time in college, Seiler wrote for her college paper for three years and served as news editor for two years. She interned at a small local start-up paper, the Indianola Independent Advocate, during her senior year and after graduation.

Seiler’s high school English teacher encouraged her to pursue a career in journalism.

“I’ve always loved to write, and I think she could see that,” Seiler said. “So I took a journalism class my freshman year of high school and fell in love with reporting. I think that everyone has a story to tell, and I want to be able to help share them.”

Seiler notes that she’s taking over a leadership role at a crucial time for this publication.

“We have big plans in the works for this year, and we are growing,” she said. “I want to be a part of that, help us grow, and help us stay organized. Also, I want to continue covering the Decatur, and greater, community and can’t wait to see what stories this year brings.”

Seiler enjoys working with the people on her beat.

“I love being out in the community meeting sources, readers, and local officials,” she said. “Oddly enough, I also enjoy covering local government meetings. It’s interesting to see the process of how something becomes an ordinance or law. Local government is also the closest form of government to us, and I take pride in informing our community about their governments and the things that may impact them in some way.”

Seiler is widely respected by her colleagues on the Decaturish team and elsewhere.

Reporter Anila Yoganathan said, “Zoe is such a kind and supportive person and an incredibly talented journalist. Her love for the job shows in all her ideas and the care she takes in forming connections with sources.”

Photographer Dean Hesse has often teamed up with Seiler as she has covered our community, and he has gotten to know her well.

“I’ve covered many assignments with Zoe over the last few years, and it’s always a treat for me to work alongside her,” Hesse said. “She is down to earth, open, knowledgeable, diligent, and always a total professional. Zoe has earned the respect of her peers and the community. I know Zoe will do an amazing job as assistant editor of Decaturish. I’m so proud of her.”

Seiler said she will continue her work of making Decaturish a stronger company and honing her skills as a journalist.

“Over the last few months, I’ve played a part in organizing the team and helping us operate more efficiently,” Seiler said. “I’m looking forward to continuing that work in this role, as well as developing my leadership and editing skills.”

She can be reached at [email protected]

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