Meet Paige Masten, our new Opinion team member

We’re adding more voices to our North Carolina Opinion pages.

The combined editorial boards of the Charlotte Observer and News & Observer are excited to welcome Paige Masten, who will be a full-time member of the Board based in Charlotte.

Masten will write editorials, occasional columns and enterprise opinion on issues important to Charlotte and all of North Carolina. She was an intern in Charlotte in 2021 and quickly showed a strong ability to write pointed and nuanced opinion on local and state issues. She’s passionate about equity and accountability, particularly as it applies to state and local politics, and is excited to continue writing about issues that matter to Charlotte and all North Carolinians.

Masten, 22, graduated from UNC-Chapel Hill in May with degrees in media and journalism and economics. She previously served as the opinion editor of The Daily Tar Heel, UNC’s independent student newspaper, where she won state and national-level awards for her editorial writing. A Raleigh native, she has lived in North Carolina her whole life. She cares deeply about her community, and hopes to use her platform to share stories and perspectives that too often go unheard. Any Charlotte and N.C. readers with a story to tell can contact her at pmasten@charlotteobserver.com.

We’re also pleased to welcome Matthew Ridenhour to our roster of regular contributing columnists. Ridenhour served as a Mecklenburg County Commissioner between 2012 and 2018, as a Republican representative for District 5. He is a third party risk manager in the financial services industry, and he served in the U.S. Marine Corps for 11 years, including two deployments to Iraq.

Ridenhour is a native Charlottean and graduate of Charlotte Christian School who serves on several boards across Mecklenburg. He and his wife, Abby, have two children, and they attend Forest Hill Church.

This story was originally published October 13, 2021 at 12:49 PM.