The Birmingham Times editor lands new role in Philadelphia—our chat with Barnett Wright

Barnett Wright, longtime editor of The Birmingham Times, announced last month that he would move back to his hometown, where he’ll join the Philadelphia Tribune as its Managing Editor. 

But Wright can’t say goodbye to Birmingham—he’s still splitting his time between the two cities. We got a chance to chat with Wright and ask about his career at the Times where he served as Executive Editor for 10 years and what it means to be moving home.e.

From Philly to Birmingham, then back to Philly

Wright grew up in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, but moved to Birmingham in 2000 to join the Birmingham News. Inspired by the history here, Wright spearheaded the book “1963: How Birmingham’s Civil Rights Movement Changed America,” published by the Birmingham News in 2012. 

Eventually moving on to The Birmingham Times, Wright had been its top editor since 2016, but a decade later, in February of 2026, Wright announced he was stepping down and returning home. 

Because of this, Wright is splitting his time between both cities! We asked him a little more about this Philly-Bham-hybrid life.

Q + A with Barnett Wright

We heard you are going to work in both Philly and Birmingham. Tell us why you’re staying in the Magic City?

“Birmingham embraced my family and me from the day we arrived in 2000. Every step of my career meant meeting more and more wonderful people from my days as a reporter in Vestavia Hills, City of Birmingham and Jefferson County and then 10 years at the Birmingham Times. I still have a home and office in Birmingham.”

What makes Birmingham special?

“The people. No place is perfect, but I found a wonderful blend of people, whether Bush Hills or Vestavia Hills, Red Mountain or Red Mountain Theatre. The cost of living is manageable; the food is superb and the gorgeous topography is not talked about enough.”

You accomplished so much with The BirminghamTimes. What do you hope to do in Philadelphia?

“Everything I accomplished at the Times—with a wonderful staff—was mostly print, which I absolutely love. However, Philadelphia is mostly about digital. About 80% of my time now is working with our digital folks to grow our online audience and site traffic. We all know that’s the future.”

Birmingham’s impact on Wright

The historical significance in Philadelphia and Birmingham is not lost on Wright, and he considers himself lucky to have experienced the cultural impact of both cities.

“Whether you talk about the birthplace of the U.S. in Philadelphia or Birmingham’s Civil Rights movement, which gave way to the passage of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, I contend that both cities, in their own way, have had a profound impact on the country that we have become.”

Wright knows the weight human connections hold, and especially in a city as beautiful as Birmingham, it’s hard to let those relationships go completely. So, he doesn’t plan on letting go of those connections anytime soon.

“I plan on maintaining connections with my fellow journalists. I’ve both competed and collaborated with my share, which has certainly made me better, and that can be said of the respective publications we worked for.

I believe competition can be healthy and keep you on your toes. It also keeps you well-rounded because you’re always reading all the other publications to see what you might have missed.”