Worcester Guardian news website names first editor

Photo | Courtesy of Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce The Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce has launched a free nonprofit news source.

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By Isabel Tehan

The Worcester Guardian, a new digital news organization being launched by the Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce, has hired its first editor.

Charlene Arsenault, former longtime arts and culture editor at Worcester Magazine, has been selected for the role. Arsenault was editor at WoMag from 1994 to 2008, according to her LinkedIn profile, and has since worked in other media, including hyperlocal coverage outlet Patch Media and in communications roles. She will begin at the Guardian immediately, according to a Tuesday press release from the news organization.

“Charlene is a top-notch journalist with deep roots in the Worcester community,” Dave Nordman, former executive editor of the Telegram & Gazette and consultant to the Worcester Guardian, said in the press release. “You won’t find a better reporter or editor who knows Worcester and the value of hyperlocal news.”

On Thursday, the Guardian placed a call for freelance journalists to write for the outlet.

The outlet is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and has applied for membership with the Institute for Nonprofit News.

Arsenault is a graduate of Fitchburg State University, where she earned a degree in English and professional writing.

“We will serve up a well-balanced platter of news, events and features that satisfies the concerns and interests of our community,” Arsenault said in the press release.