Gary Dotson was the longtime senior editor and investigative projects editor at the Belleville (IL) News-Democrat and BND.com. During his tenure, the News-Democrat won dozens of regional and national awards for accountability journalism, including three IRE awards, a George Polk Award and a Robert F. Kennedy Award. After the pandemic, he went to work for McClatchy Media and created a virtual flex editing team, working virtually in dozens of McClatchy newsrooms across the country. He holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Missouri and master’s degree in mass communications from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville.