The Times announces the promotion of Mike Douglas to the position of managing editor...
Well, good. An editorial change is needed.
Douglas has been the managing editor of The Marion Ledger since it began publishing four years ago. He has been with Crittenden Publishing Company for a total of eight year.
This, however, does not fill me with confidence. The Marion Ledger (no website available, which certainly inspires a surge of confidence) makes The Evening Times look like the New York Times.
"I am excited about the position and will make every effort to keep the Times a local newspaper," Douglas said. "I'd like to see more of the folksy, hometown news and photos. With the help of our community, I believe we can continue to improve the Times and make it the best community newspaper in the state."
This I totally agree with. All kidding aside, I like my hometown newspaper. I want it to succeed. But for a paper like The Evening Times, they are never, ever, ever going to compete trying to cover regional or national or international news. They shouldn't even try to cover Memphis news unless it has a direct impact on Crittenden County. The niche market that a small newspaper has to serve in the twenty-first century is the local community. Cover the hell out of local stories. Take a stand on issues and let the editorial page explain them. As a native, I can say people in northeast Arkansas don't care what's happening in Little Rock. Memphis is the capital of our part of the country, so dump all the extra Arkansas coverage. Focus on the local. Or you're not going to make it.
He is a 1977 graduate of the University of Memphis with a degree in journalism with a concentration in press photography.
A photographer? Again with the surge of confidence. Here's all I ask: proof this shit before you print it. It's not hard. Make every writer have two other people proof anything before they send it up the line. Have someone above them who knows spelling, grammar, and punctuation. Leave fact-checking and final approval to the people on up the ladder. I'm not one to tell people to buy Microsoft products, but Word can solve most of the issues I point out here.
In conclusion: welcome, Mr. New Editor. Don't burn your paper's credibility by putting out a product that appears to be written by a dyslexic fifth grader.
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