David Hunke

David L. Hunke was named president and publisher of USA TODAY in April 2009.

He oversees USA TODAY, the nation’s top-selling print newspaper; USATODAY.com, an award-winning news and information Web site; and USA TODAY Sports Weekly, a weekly magazine for baseball and football enthusiasts. Also reporting to Hunke are a number of other Gannett Co., Inc. operations. They include: USA WEEKEND, a leading national newspaper magazine; Gannett Offset; and the Detroit Newspaper Partnership L.P. Banquet, an action sports network; and Fantasy Sports Venture, the leading online destination for fantasy sports content with more than 100 specialty websites.

Prior to this position, Hunke was chief executive officer of Detroit Media Partnership, the agency overseeing all business operations of the Detroit Free Press, The Detroit News, the 14 suburban newspapers of the Observer and Eccentric group, as well as a number of Web-based and magazine publishing businesses throughout southeast Michigan.  Dave’s 32 year newspaper and publishing career has spanned assignments in Rochester, New York; Cincinnati, Ohio; Miami, Florida; Wichita, Kansas and Kansas City, Missouri.

As publisher of the Detroit Free Press, Hunke headed the team that won the Pulitzer Prize for local reporting on the story of Detroit’s embattled former Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick. In 2008, the Free Press became the first newspaper in the country ever to be awarded the prestigious Emmy, which recognized the newspaper’s outstanding broad-band documentary coverage of Michigan National Guard units in Iraq. To date, the Detroit Free Press has won a total of three Emmy’s for videos appearing on www.freep.com.  

Hunke is a member of the nation’s Ad Council Board of Directors.  Previously, he has served as both board chair and campaign chair for United Way’s in Michigan and New York.

Hunke received a B.S. degree in journalism from the University of Kansas. He and his wife Janet reside today in McLean, VA.