Rich Archbold is Executive Editor of the Press-Telegram.

Rich Archbold was born with ink in his veins. From the time he was a paper boy delivering Chicago dailies on his bike in suburban Lombard, Archbold has had a love affair with newspapers. He got his first taste as editor-in-chief at The Glenbard, his high school newspaper in Glen Ellyn, IL. That was followed by his being named as editor of The Daily Illini at the University of Illinois in 1959-1960.

In his more than 40 years since D.I. days, Archbold has been a distinguished journalist, working as a reporter, city editor, managing editor and now as executive editor of the Press-Telegram in Long Beach, CA. In September, 2007, he was inducted into the University of Illinois Media Hall of Fame.

Archbold started his professional career as statehouse reporter for United Press International in Lincoln, NE, followed by public affairs reporting for the Omaha World-Herald. He moved to The Miami Herald in 1965, working as a public affairs reporter, city editor and managing editor of The Herald’s Fort Lauderdale bureau. He joined the Press-Telegram in 1978 as managing editor and was appointed executive editor in 1997.

Under Archbold’s leadership, the Press-Telegram has won many significant awards. Among them: the Associated Press Managing Editors Public Service Award for a local high school recruiting scandal; a National Headliner award for an investigative series on patient dumping at hospitals, and the Greater Los Angeles Press Club award for Best Newspaper in Los Angeles County.

Archbold has been active in several professional organizations, most notably the Associated Press Managing Editors Association. He joined APME in 1978, edited APME News, the group’s periodical, and chaired various studies on readership and management issues before being named president in 1994. A highlight of his presidency was the revision of the APME Code of Ethics. He also was president of the California Associated Press News Executive Council.

Archbold also has taught public affairs reporting at California State University Long Beach and is an evaluating team member of the Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communications.

He is a passionate and enthusiastic spokesman for strong journalistic values and the role of a newspaper and its web site in a community. He enjoys talking to all groups and organizations, especially young people, about how journalism can make a difference in a community.

In his non-journalistic spare time, Archbold is a passionate, diehard Chicago Cubs fan, which means he also has lots of patience. Rich is married to Pat, an art teacher and a past chairman of Rick Rackers, an auxiliary of the Assistance League of Long Beach. They have two daughters, Kelly and Katie, and live in East Long Beach.