The Ledger hires a new managing editor, Ashley Fahey
An experienced journalist with a track record of keeping Charlotte ahead of the news
The following article appeared in the September 19, 2025, edition of The Charlotte Ledger, an e-newsletter with smart and original local news for Charlotte. We offer free and paid subscription plans. More info here.
Exciting Ledger personnel news: We are hiring Ashley Fahey as our new managing editor
From Ledger editor Tony Mecia:
I’m thrilled to tell you that The Charlotte Ledger has hired a new managing editor — an experienced Charlotte journalist who will help us elevate our coverage and deliver smart, local information to readers.
Ashley Fahey joins us next week. For the last 9 1/2 years, she has been a reporter and editor with the Charlotte Business Journal and its parent company, American City Business Journals — first as a real estate reporter and editor, then as ACBJ’s managing editor for national content.
She’s a natural for this job with us, with a background in Charlotte journalism, newsletters, business reporting, editing and contributing to and guiding a team.
In a post on LinkedIn this week, Ashley wrote: “I’m eager for my next chapter and getting back to doing what I love most: local journalism.” She says joining The Ledger as managing editor is “an opportunity I’m beyond excited about.”
The Ledger’s new managing editor, Ashley Fahey. She starts next week.
I’ve followed Ashley’s work for years and have admired it, even when she and I were competitors. When she covered real estate in Charlotte, I routinely cursed under my breath when she repeatedly broke news that I wish The Ledger had had — like the scoop that Centene was creating thousands of jobs in Charlotte, in what would be one of the largest economic development announcements in state history — and two years later that the company was pulling the plug on those plans. She kept Charlotte ahead of the news, and now, on our team, we’re looking to her to do the same thing.
She brings energy and experience. She’s a sharp thinker who is at ease asking pointed questions. She shares our commitment to providing meaty, original and interesting information to our city. And she knows Charlotte well. She and her husband live in the Commonwealth Park neighborhood, near Plaza Midwood.
For those keeping track at home, Ashley is also our first full-time millennial employee at The Ledger, which means our staff now spans nearly all working-age generations, from Gen X to Gen Z.
In her new perch at The Ledger, Ashley will have the chance to spread her wings and delve into local topics outside of real estate. Our philosophy is to hire talented journalists and give them the freedom to find important and interesting stories across different fields. We’d be foolish not to harness her expertise in real estate, but like most normal people, she has other interests, too. Great journalists like Ashley tend to be versatile and quick learners.
As an editor, Ashley will also help guide our coverage across all six of our newsletters by working with our staff and freelancers. She’ll play a big role in shaping where we go next. Our team is excited to work with her and to learn from her.
She’s a graduate of Elon University, and I learned just this week that while in college, she lived in a room above a fellow Elon student who would become another talented Charlotte reporter: WSOC’s Joe Bruno. (Joe tells me he figured he annoyed Ashley with his frequent late and loud parties, but Ashley says she was not bothered.)
Ashley will be The Ledger’s fourth full-time employee. Amid difficult times in local media, we’re happy to be growing. Ashley takes the role formerly held by Cristina Bolling, who left The Ledger in June after five years to take a job outside of journalism. (Cristina will continue to write occasional articles for us.)
Ashley’s first day with us is Tuesday. We’ll plan a “Beers with the Editors” event soon so Ledger members can come meet her and the rest of our team. We think you’ll like her as much as we do.
If you’d like to drop her a line, she can be reached at ashley@cltledger.com.
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