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Sports Editor needed: Lumberton, N.C.

Discussion in 'Journalism Jobs' started by BYUSportsGuy, Jul 1, 2009.

  1. Tarheel316

    Tarheel316 Well-Known Member

    Agreed!
     
  2. Mark2010

    Mark2010 Active Member

    The local high school should be known as the Lumberjacks. Lumberton Lumberjacks!!
     
  3. kamikaze021

    kamikaze021 Member

    As for bosses not knowing screen name...it also helps when someone else who doesn't like you and had trashed the newspaper you're leaving twice as bad as you tattles on you to the former newspaper.
     
  4. Sam Mills 51

    Sam Mills 51 Well-Known Member

    Surely, Donnie Douglas will hire you now ...
     
  5. Mark2010

    Mark2010 Active Member

    Already did a little investigating on this particular position. Not saying it can't be good for the right person, though.
     
  6. Jake_Taylor

    Jake_Taylor Well-Known Member

    I worked in Lumberton for my first job out of college. Unless things have turned around the town/county is pretty rough. The crime rate is high and there's not really much to do. It is dirt cheap to live there though and the beach isn't far.

    Everything that gets said about Donnie is probably true -- the good and the bad. He's a pretty interesting character and I personally never had any trouble with him. My experience when it was time to leave Lumberton was quite similar to Dukeman26's earlier in this thread. But Donnie also has a hard time with first impressions. He's turned off a lot of with his personality, and I can understand why, but like I said, I don't have any problem with him.

    Yet despite the location, the chain that owns the paper and Donnie, he's still been able to make some really good hires for this position. Two guys I know of covered colleges at bigger papers before taking the sports editor job in Lumberton.
     
  7. dukeman26

    dukeman26 New Member

    It's a Heartland paper ... so that's one major black mark already. M-F p.m., Saturday-Sunday a.m.
    [/quote]

    This thread prompted me to call Donnie and check in. The paper no longer publishes on Monday. He felt like that is a good thing for the sports editor. When I was there, he often said he felt the sports editors job was the hardest at a paper of that size, mostly b/c of the hours and lack of life.

    He said he had made three really good hires in a row.

    If someone is interested in the job, they should just apply and call Donnie. He never lied to me once in the time there. He will tell you his expectations and he will not sugarcoat anything about the job, Lumberton, etc. The guy can edit copy. Someone wanting to learn could from him.
    As has been suggested, he doesnt suffer fools. Do the job and you wouldnt have a problem.


    ETA: Jake is right about the crime. But you can find safe places to live there.
     
  8. Sam Mills 51

    Sam Mills 51 Well-Known Member

    It's fine that Donnie doesn't suffer fools, guys. And Jake's point about Donnie's first impression is key ... he lost me once with a first phone call. Awful, and I want to add that I did nothing in an attempt to antagonize. So while Donnie may be a pretty good editor and a no-BS sort - crucial positives given the group which owns this publication and its location in Robeson County - he can't take back that first impression.

    Hopefully, Donnie is as advertised by those who were around him more - a straightforward, honest sort who is helping the people who helped him and that publication move forward. Because the crime and general difficulties in the county in addition to Heartland Publications' slashing and burning of other publications in North Carolina (Mount Airy, anyone?) is a lot to overcome.

    We can only hope that candidates have an idea of the bigger picture and consider those factors carefully.
     
  9. thegrifter

    thegrifter Member

    I'm just curious about the number of apps newspapers are receiving for editors, since all the writing jobs seem to be pulling in at least 100 or so resumes.
     
  10. dukeman26

    dukeman26 New Member

    Donnie told me he had about 25 apps, but he said they are mostly in two categories: People who have been laid off and are overqualified and those who are underqualified. I got the impression he felt this was going to be a hard hire.
    I dont want to say too much on here, but I think the implications concerning Heartland are accurate. I told Donnie about this thread and he laughed and said he got ripped pretty good here before. Said he probably deserved a lot of it.
     
  11. checkswinger

    checkswinger Member

    I can vouch for Donnie, too. I joined the sports staff straight out of college. He flew me out for the interview – I lived in Mississippi – and did everything he could to help my family get settled in. I got there just before football season, and he had no problem throwing me into the fire, which was good for me. I grew a lot as a journalist in my two years there thanks to his guidance, which more than once included a firm hand.

    True, Lumberton's not an ideal place to live, but it's got some good people. And some very, very interesting people, especially on the high school scene. I would add that at least it's no longer owned by cnhi, but that situation seems not to have improved.
     
  12. Drip

    Drip Active Member

    Bullshit. He runs this overqualified line every time there is an opening. Look, either he wants to hire the best person for the job or he wants to keep searching for crap hoping that it will turn into gold.
     
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