Newsroom With A View

The High Point Enterprise
April 2020 – present
Editor
Responsible for staffs of six-day-a-week newspaper in metro Piedmont Triad area of North Carolina as well as affiliated weeklies.
Since Dec. 1, 2022, also serve as regional editor over The Dispatch in Lexington, The Times-News in Burlington and the Courier-Tribune in Asheboro.

Lenoir News-Topic
January 2013 – September 2021
Publisher (2018-April 2020), editor and website administrator (newstopicnews.com)
Responsible for budget and all operations of five-day-a-week community newspaper. As editor of six-person newsroom, upgraded writing and storytelling to achieve newspaper’s first state press awards in five years. Radically ramped up social engagement; grew Facebook page likes from 890 to nearly 16,000 in five years.

Media General Inc. / BH Media
May 2001 – November 2012
As editor in charge of content-sharing for print and digital platforms, achieved tripling of shared news resources, initiated blog advocating new media and best practices, created new processes for news sharing, initiated company’s first ongoing reporter-coaching program. Coached reporters and editors on writing, news strategy, social media, design and ethics, and blogged about changes, trends and tools in news media. Pushed Washington Bureau toward regional, topic-based coverage; oversaw Washington Bureau’s database projects. Revamped print-only journalism contest for multi-platform news division.

Winston-Salem Journal
October 1992-May 2001
As state editor (January 1996 – May 2001) initiated the Journal’s first-ever database reporting projects, including investigative series that exposed gaps in trucking safety; created new system for identifying and recognizing our best journalism; created first state capital reporting position serving multiple Media General newsrooms; won 2000 Carl K. Bell Award, recognizing the best editing/coaching in North Carolina. Started as reporter in Wilkesboro bureau, then moved to assistant state editor.

Fort Pierce/Port St. Lucie Tribune
City editor, 1991 – October 1992: Supervised staff of nine for the newspaper covering St. Lucie County, Fla.

Copy editor and page designer, 1991: Edited and designed two-edition local news section.

Reporter, May 1989 – 1991: Covered various beats in Fort Pierce and Port St. Lucie.

The Star-News
Reporter, March 1988 – April 1989: Covered Wilmington, N.C., night police beat March-May 1988, then responsible for all coverage of eastern Brunswick County May 1988-April 1989.

Lenoir News-Topic
Reporter, June 1987 – February 1988: Covered police, courts, environment and county government beats.

Honors and awards
2021-22 Second place, Editorials, North Carolina Press Association
2016 First Place, Beat News Coverage, and Second Place, Editorials, North Carolina Press Association
2015 First Place, Beat News Coverage, North Carolina Press Association
2014 First Place, Editorials, and Third Place, Lighter Columns, North Carolina Press Association
2005 First Place, National Press Club, Short Fiction Contest
2000 First Place, Carl K. Bell Editing Award, N.C. Associated Press News Council
1999 Honorable Mention, Carl K. Bell Editing Award, N.C. Associated Press News Council
1991 First Place, Public Service, Florida Press Club
1991 First Place, Commentary, Florida Press Club
1991 Second Place, Non-Deadline Writing, Florida Press Club
1990 First Place, Public Service, Florida Society of Newspaper Editors

This page has the following sub pages.

• Sheriff Hege
• Approaching the Millennium
• Keepers of the Quota
• A Futile Search
• Hammer Down