My First Job ...

Africa Price

Africa Price, managing editor, The Jackson (Tenn.) Sun

My first newsroom reporting job was at The Courier in Houma, La. It was a p.m. paper, and I was an education reporter. The story that had the most impact on me was covering a school-board meeting that went into executive session, during which the assistant superintendent turned over the media table because I gently requested information that the board discussed and reminded him of the Sunshine Law. He tried to get me off the story that night. And the city editor offered to relieve me of the task. But I insisted and didn't take the out because I felt it was my responsibility to be the watchdog for the community.

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My First Job archive

Ronnie Agnew, executive editor, The Clarion-Ledger, Jackson, Miss.

Caesar Andrews, editor, Gannett News Service

George Benge, news executive, Gannett Co., Inc.

Peter Bhatia, executive editor, The Oregonian, Portland

Michael Chihak, publisher and editor, Tucson (Ariz.) Citizen

Bill Church, executive editor, Star-Gazette, Elmira, N.Y.

Don Flores, executive vice president and editor, El Paso (Texas) Times

Karla Garrett Harshaw, editor, Springfield (Ohio) News-Sun

Bennie Ivory, executive editor, The Courier-Journal, Louisville, Ky.

Sherrie Marshall, executive editor, The Macon (Ga.) Telegraph

E.J. Mitchell, managing editor, The Detroit News

Ricardo Pimentel, columnist, The Arizona Republic, Phoenix

Africa Price, managing editor, The Jackson (Tenn.) Sun

Mark Russell, assistant managing editor, The Plain Dealer, Cleveland

John Quinn, senior advisory trustee, Freedom Forum