(06-20-2016 11:02 PM)dukeforlife17 Wrote:  Matt was invited by one of my professors to speak to my sports management class last year. He came off like he could give two flying you know what's about JMU. Talked about how difficult it is getting stories in Harrisonburg. Also talked about his difficulties with Whithers. Talked like a guy who couldn't wait to get out of town. But that's the only time I have seen the guy, it was an early class so maybe he is just not a morning person.

Sounds to me like Matt Jones did exactly what EW did ---- 'bolted' on the first bus out of town to use Matt's terminology. But I would say EW cashed in way better than Matt did.

(06-20-2016 11:02 PM)dukeforlife17 Wrote:  Matt was invited by one of my professors to speak to my sports management class last year. He came off like he could give two flying you know what's about JMU. Talked about how difficult it is getting stories in Harrisonburg. Also talked about his difficulties with Whithers. Talked like a guy who couldn't wait to get out of town. But that's the only time I have seen the guy, it was an early class so maybe he is just not a morning person.

For most, print journalism is a lot like baseball -- your first stop shouldn't be your last, and you shouldn't be there for long. Don't know the guy from Adam, but unless you're fortunate enough to start somewhere big, or you're at your hometown paper and that's all you want, then everything you do at paper A is to get you ready for paper B. But you shouldn't make that part of your public face.

Chris Simmons, from what I've seen and heard, brought in and developed a lot of writers to get them to their next stop, so you'd get good journalism out of a lot of them, but at the cost of high turnover. DNR sports has a good reputation in the business, that much I can tell you. Not sure how things are in the post-Simmons DNR, but I used to know Simmons's replacement (came from Bristol and spent time in Waynesboro) and he seems like a good egg.