Staff are excited to announce the promotion of Jared Wenzelburger, who was formerly the staff photographer at The Reflector’s sister paper in Centralia, who will now serve as CT Publishing’s regional photo editor.
Wenzelburger will work with The Reflector, along with its sister papers, The Chronicle in Centralia and the Nisqually Valley News in Yelm.
A graduate of Centralia High School, Wenzelburger began working at The Chronicle as a freelance photographer after a job shadow at 17 years old. Now 23, he’s one of the youngest staffers in Chronicle history seasoned enough to earn status as an editor.
“He became a member of the staff because we could no longer afford to buy his photos on an assignment by assignment basis,” said Editor-in-Chief Eric Schwartz, noting the abundance of quality photos Wenzelburger submitted as a freelancer. “In the years since, he has been front and center at every fire, flood, train derailment, crash, river rescue and Chamber of Commerce ribbon-cutting in the greater Lewis County area. To say he deserves this promotion is an absolute understatement.”
The new role ensures regional use of photos by Wenzelburger, who already travels across Southwest Washington for a variety of assignments. The photo editor cut his teeth at The Chronicle during the Scatter Creek Fire in Rochester in 2017. Since then, he has continued providing extensive coverage of local issues.
A Society of Professional Journalist award-winning photographer, Wenzelburger’s work has been shared by Oregon Public Broadcasting, the Seattle Times, the New York Post and many other national news outlets.
“He’s an incredibly important part of our operation who I am proud to work with,” Schwartz said. “He’s the hardest working guy I know and, more than that, he’s a pleasure to be around and a joy to work with.”
