Florida Gators beat writer, Orlando Sentinel

will orlando promote one of its people or bring in someone from the outside?

 

Folks,
I am going to be helping get this postition filled. Please continue to send materials to the addresses above. Please do not email resumes to me or Steve Ruiz, use the sentinelgatorsbeat@gmail account listed.
If anyone has any questions, feel free to call me at 954-356-4653.
Kathy Laughlin
Assistant Sports Editor
Sun Sentinel/Orlando Sentinel
954-356-4653
klaughlin@sun-sentinel.com

 

Any update?

 

Stumbled across this note from O-Sentinel in September 2010. Less than two years later, are any of these people in the same position?

"It is my pleasure to announce the hiring of Todd Adams, sports editor at the Fayetteville (N.C.) Observer, as our new college editor. Todd will coordinate college sports coverage in print and online. Todd’s direct reports will include Florida beat writer Rachel George, Florida State beat writer Andrew Carter, Miami beat writer Steve Gorten, UCF beat writer Iliana Limon, FAU beat writer Ted Hutton, college multimedia reporter Matt Murschel, recruiting writer Chris Hays and a national college writer still to be announced. Todd will be based in Orlando."

 

Nice pull...

 

Think Limon, Murschel and Hays are in same positions they were two years ago.

 

To (somewhat) answer my earlier question, it appears Joe Morgan of the UF student newspaper is freelancing and covering the Gators right now for the Sentinel. It seems odd they haven't filled a premier job like this when it was posted in July.

 

Odd how? They just lost two of their top people who would have been pivotal in the search process.
They also hired two new people to lead their respective sections.
There's usually a difference between getting something done fast and getting it done right.
This isn't a hire they want to rush into.

 

They did have two ASEs (Steve and Kathy) working on applications since at least mid-July. I don't think they were going to wait until Tim's replacements were brought in to fill this job. Seven weeks (and counting) seems to be a little on the lengthy side for filling this position -- especially with preseason camp going on and the season opener in about 10 days.

But you're right: Because of the importance of this position to the paper, you have to make the right hire.

 

Not odd at all considering they just hired a new SE and are still hiring a colleges editor. This is the time of year when dominos are still falling and it is not uncommon at all for hires to be made during the first month of the season. This is definitely not the first time Orlando has gone into the beginning of college football season without a UF beat writer or primarily using a UF correspondent.

 

Well, I stand corrected.

 

The Florida papers have a very rare relationships with student reporters. These aren't regular stringers. These students are there every day just like the other beat writers. I don't know if any school has a better setup for students to get great clips and experience.

It's the biggest reason why there is an amazing list of great writers who have come out of UF. Just to name a few, Jeff Darlington, Jeremy Fowler, Izzy Gould, Andy Staples, Andrea Adelson, Steve Gorten, Israel Gutierrez, Jamey Eisenberg are some of the people who started off as student "correspondents" for any of the multiple papers that cover UF.