There’s a lot of negative things one could say about Facebook and the effect it has had on society but one thing I do find value in is the memories that pop up on my a Facebook feed. When grinding away, from one day to the next, sometimes milestones can easily slip by - milestones that serve as a good point of reflection.
My recent Facebook memories have reminded me that I am now entering my second year as managing editor of the Southern Standard. It’s one of the oddities of the human mind that something like that can seem both much longer than a year ago but also like just last week.
The past 365 days have been a change, to be sure. Many readers are already aware of my work history at the Southern Standard but I never assume people actually read my column. So, for those finding yourself reading this column for the first time, I’ll briefly recap.
I began working at the Southern Standard while a senior at MTSU in May, 1997. I started work here as a graphic designer specializing in page layout and, despite slightly moving up the rather limited ladder afforded to the design positions at a local newspaper, that is largely the job I remained in for 25 years. Last August, the departure of longtime editor James Clark created a vacancy which I was selected to fill.
It’s been a year of learning experiences to be sure. I went from my more naturally comfortable role of behind-the-scenes guy who rarely had to deal with the public to being the one receiving the bulk of emails and calls. Sometimes the communications are positive. Sometimes they are definitely not. Whether positive or negative, I always take solace in knowing that people being concerned about the content and quality of their local newspaper is clear-cut proof that, contrary to what some may say, the local newspaper still carries a great deal of importance in a small town and people realize and appreciate that or else they wouldn’t care.
We as a staff and myself, personally, have experienced some bumps along the road and we’ve tried to treat each as a learning experience to better ourselves and to present a better product to our readers. We’ve also had a fair share of successes and I thank the entire staff of the Southern Standard for all of the often thankless work that goes into putting out three editions of the Southern Standard per week.
Those who pay attention to bylines will no doubt notice we’ve had our fair share of staff changes during this year but I’m happy with our current staff of News Editor Bethany Porter, Sports Editor Jeffery Simmons and reporters Nikki Childers and JL Jacobs. Following the lead of Publisher Pat Zechman and GM Dale Stubblefield, we continue to strive to improve our product. I’ve got one year of managing editor under my belt. Now it’s on to the next, armed with many lessons learned.
Standard Managing Editor Seth Wright can be reached at (931) 473-2191
