Jason Chirevas takes over as new Riverdale Press editor

Jason Chirevas is the new editor of The Riverdale Press. He formerly led newspapers in Scarsdale and Co-op City.

Gary Jean-Juste

Jason Chirevas, a veteran journalist in Westchester County and the Bronx, joins The Riverdale Press as its new editor this week.

“The opportunity to be part of a newspaper with as storied and rich a history as The Riverdale Press is one I welcome and appreciate,” Chirevas said.

He spent three years as editor-in-chief of The Scarsdale Inquirer, and also served as managing editor of The Co-op City Times and deputy editor of the Westchester-based Hometown Media newspaper group. With all that, Chirevas brings a healthy cross section of experience to The Press.

He also has been a reporter for Gannett’s The Journal News, and The Mamaroneck Review.

“Community newspapers have a crucial responsibility beyond those of the national media, which is often more concerned with beating competitors to a story they will all run,” Chirevas said. “Community newspapers must bring zeal to stories highlighting the accomplishments of those in their readership, and then be able to pivot to stories protecting that readership from overzealous, inadequate, government or private interests — often within the same edition.”

A devotee of the “Comfort the Afflicted, Afflict the Comfortable” philosophy of journalism, Chirevas joins The Press at a time when the number of community newspapers — and of media outlets in general — is significantly contracting, and what remains is often under attack. In that environment, Chirevas said, papers like The Press are more critical than ever to the continuation of an informed, engaged public.

But, he added, community newspapers must remember the human angle.

“We have the responsibility, and the privilege, of bringing readers together through common interests and shared enthusiasms,” Chirevas said.

Michael Hinman — who spent five years at the helm of The Riverdale Press before moving up to lead the entire 26-newspaper editorial division — couldn’t be more enthusiastic about Chirevas’ arrival.

“Growing up in a very small town, I know firsthand how important a local newspaper is to the community,” said Hinman, executive editor of Herald Community Newspapers, which includes The Press.

“What was started by David and Celia Stein on the kitchen table of their Riverdale apartment, and continued on through the extraordinary work of their sons — Buddy and Richie Stein — must thrive today if this part of the Bronx is going to keep gleaming.

“And it matters to me, too, because this remains home.”

Although he currently resides in Bronxville, Chirevas in not a stranger to the Bronx. He lived on Sedgwick Avenue near Van Cortlandt Park between 1996 and 2009 in one of the Park Reservoir Housing Corp. buildings, so Chirevas has some built-in familiarity with The Press coverage area.

“This is an amazing section of the Bronx,” Chirevas said. “It combines people, architecture, history and culture in ways not found everywhere in the borough. I’m looking forward to the challenges and rewards of covering Riverdale and its surrounding neighborhoods.”

“Jason Chirevas brings a wealth of experience and a passion for community journalism to The Riverdale Press,” said Press publisher Stuart Richner. “We’re excited to welcome him aboard, and confident that, under his leadership, this paper will continue to serve as a vital voice for the Bronx — fostering informed dialogue, and championing stories that matter most to our readers.”

Chirevas can be reached at (718) 543-6065, Ext. 374. or at jchirevas@riverdalepress.com.