STLPR Politics Editor Fred Ehrlich retires after four decades shaping reporters and news in St. Louis

Before the stories you regularly hear and read from St. Louis Public Radio make it to air or the homepage at stlpr.org, they are scrutinized to make sure the reporting is accurate and meaningful.

Behind much of that work are editors - the journalists whose voice or byline you rarely hear or see. More than just providing post-story polish, editors help reporters ask the right questions, sharpen their stories and become better journalists.

This November, St. Louis Public Radio is saying farewell to one of its most stalwart editorial contributors: Politics Editor Fred Ehrlich retires Friday.

Ehrlich recently sat down with "St. Louis on the Air" host Elaine Cha to talk about his life as a writer and editor and the influence he's had on the next generation of journalists in St. Louis.

A storied career

A native of New Jersey, Ehrlich graduated from the University of Wisconsin in Madison with degrees in journalism and political science.

"You know, I just, I always wanted to be in journalism," Ehrlich said. "I started as a kid throwing newspapers on people's lawns or driveways . . . I was the editor of my high school newspaper."

He quickly landed his first journalism gig after graduation at the Belleville News-Democrat, working his way up from business reporter to business editor to assistant metro editor.

As an editor in those early days, Ehrlich said that, initially, "I really missed the writing part of it." He did adapt and came to love and flourish in the role for 13 years. After a brief stint at the Tampa Tribune in Florida, the Ehrlichs made their way back to the Midwest for a big opportunity at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, where Ehrlich would become the St. Charles bureau chief.

"It was great. It was all local news, and I felt like we were really doing what I want to do, which is public service journalism. We were telling people what was going on in their communities," Ehrlich said. When layoffs arrived at the Post-Dispatch in 2015, Ehrlich brought his commitment to public service journalism to STLPR.

Fatefully, his transition from print to radio as politics editor came at an infamous moment in St. Louis politics.

"The Eric Greitens scandal. It was my third day on the job," Ehrlich said. "I was still so new. I like to tell people I barely knew where the bathroom was." The story broke around 10 p.m., Ehrlich recalled. "We had to tear up everything we did, spring into action on the new direction of the story, and that story, as you can imagine, just took off from there and occupied us for months following."

But as Ehrlich said, that's the job. "I mean, this is a breaking news business, and that's when we have to be at our best," he said. "When all kinds of things are happening all at once."

With that trial-by-fire welcome, Ehrlich would develop a reputation as a completely unflappable presence in the newsroom, which he attributes to the quality of the team surrounding him.

"The political team that we have is unbelievable. You know, Jason Rosenbaum, Rachel Lippmann, Sarah Kellogg, and now Katie Grawitch. I mean, they just know what they're doing, and I always say they make me look good, and that's true."

A legacy of talent

Those accolades flow both ways, as staffers recalled just how much Ehrlich's presence made the STLPR newsroom a place for young journalists to thrive and grow.

"Fred edits with a sharp eye and leads with a big, caring heart," said Brian Heffernan, managing editor of audience and product. "He's been the STLPR office dad and a mentor to me for the better part of a decade. He's stayed up late with reporters on tough stories and always has been so supportive of his colleagues."

In recorded messages, reporters shared what his presence meant for them personally and professionally on yesterday's "St. Louis on the Air."

Statehouse reporter Sarah Kellogg said, "Through my entire time at St. Louis Public Radio, you've been such a guiding yet calming force at the helm of the ship that is the politics team, and you're the best boss I've ever had. And I know that I'm the reporter I am today because of you."

And from STLPR's Jason Rosenbaum: "I am trying to trick myself into thinking that Fred is not actually leaving, given just how massively influential he's been in the trajectory of my journalism career; he has helped me produce some of the best work in my 20 years in this business, and he's done it with a sense of patience and attention to detail that is unmatched. Even though I don't want him to go, Fred deserves the best retirement ever, and I'm forever grateful to everything he's done for me as a journalist and a person."

What comes next

Having kept up with the frenetic pace of the politics beat at STLPR for 13 years, Ehrlich is ready for a more relaxed tempo and mornings spent lingering over coffee. But he is hopeful for the profession he leaves behind.

"Well, I'm still an optimist because people still want news. People still need news. There needs to be public service journalism, watchdog journalism," Ehrlich said. Even with challenges, "I'm so bullish on public radio. I think the economic model of being publicly supported works," he said. "Instead of being owned by a big corporation where it's the bottom line for stockholders."

To the colleagues he leaves behind, Ehrlich said, "Keep doing what you're doing because you know now more than ever, public service journalism, public radio is so needed."

You can hear more of Ehrlich's reflections on his life, career and the current state of journalism, on the Thursday, Nov., 12 episode of "St. Louis on the Air."