The Indiana Publisher

Michael Doyle Evansville Courier & Press EVANSVILLE, Ind. — An eye for dynamic visual storytelling and a passion for local news have been the cornerstones of Michael McCarter's 20-plus year career in journalism, carrying him to some of the country's most prestigious newspapers. On Thursday, McCarter was named the Courier & Press's new executive editor. He suc- ceeds former editor George Spohr, who died in July from cancer at age 37. McCarter is a top-notch coach for journalists — someone who will push hard for compelling journalism, said Richard Green, Midwest Regional Editor for the USA TODAY Network. "I had the good fortune to work with Michael in Cincinnati a few years ago, and I was impressed by his passion, skills and determination to deliver com- pelling journalism," Green said. "He knows that a great city like Evansville deserves a great media site. He will be a terrific addition to this community." McCarter said he first learned of Evansville months ago, when he met Spohr at a regional editors meeting. "George spoke so highly of Evansville," McCarter said. "He was a great ambassador for the area. When you have a guy who is from New York saying how happy he was in Evansville and never wanted to leave there, that says a lot about the kind of place it is." McCarter said his focus as an editor will be to ensure that the Courier & Press continues to pro- duce strong, fact-based reporting and allow readers to form their own opinions. "Our readers are going to be provided with the best local infor- mation possible," he said. "We are going to be the investigative arm of the community. We want to find out what's going on with city government, our universities. "Anything that might have an impact on our readers' lives, we want to be there," he said. "Our reporting should inform and make lives better." A 1994 graduate of the University of Southern Mississippi, McCarter took an unconventional path into jour- nalism. As a pre-med student at Southern Miss, he was simply looking to fill out his schedule and enrolled in a photography class. The class turned out to be his introduction to photojournal- ism and eventually, he scored a photo internship at the Pensacola (Florida) News Journal. "One of my professors told me I had talent and that I could make a career out of it if I wanted," he recalls. "I really enjoyed what I was doing. Journalism is fun. I have fun every single day. Even when people say we're fake news, it's still a fun job." McCarter officially began his career as a photographer at The Shreveport (Louisiana) Times while pursuing his master's in psychology at Louisiana State University-Shreveport. In 1998, he moved on to the Atlanta-Journal Constitution where he served as photo edi- tor. At the AJC, he oversaw photo coverage of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, hurricanes Katrina and Rita, a 22-part series on the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and a special section commemorating the life and death of Coretta Scott King, according to his bio at the Southern Miss School of Mass Communications and Journalism website. McCarter joined the Cincinnati Enquirer in 2007 as director of photography and currently serves as the Enquirer's senior news director. He will officially take over at the Courier & Press on Oct. 22 and plans to continue building on the path Spohr laid out for the newsroom. "Michael's experience as a sto- ryteller and a leader is the perfect fit for Evansville's strong news team," said Ronnie Ramos, exec- utive editor of the Indianapolis Star and state editor for Indiana Gannett properties. "Michael's success in working with various newsrooms across Ohio will help us build an excellent team here in Evansville and our other Indiana news sites. October 2018 Page 4 Staff Perry County News TELL CITY – The Perry County News has named a suc- cessor for the sports editor position following the retirement of veteran sportswriter Larry Goffinet. Taking on the reins of coverage for local sporting events throughout Perry County is Kasey Richardson. Born in Marietta, Ga., Richardson, 24, arrives in Tell City with a wealth of recent journalism experience, reporting on local school, youth and recre- ational sports; and he also carries a love for games at the collegiate and professional ranks. He graduated from Greenville University in Greenville, Ill., in 2017 with a bachelor's degree in mass communications where he served as sports director for the school radio station, Greenville 89.5 F.M. In his previous profes- sional media career, Richardson worked as a content editor for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, reporting on high school foot- ball and basketball in the metro Atlanta area. After working with the AJC, he worked as a reporter for the Henry Herald and Clayton County News, specifically covering local high school football. In transitioning into his role with the Perry County News, Richardson said he plans to continue his growth in the sports media field. That anticipation is also carried by fellow members in the newsroom. "Building on the 40-plus years of dedication that Larry Goffinet provided the newsroom, we feel Kasey and his passion for sports reporting will be a good fit for the News," said publisher Mark Eisenlohr. Ronnie Ramos, left, Michael McCarter, center, and Richard Green go over their game plan for the rest of the morning in the Courier & Press news- room after McCarter was named the newspaper's executive editor Oct. 4. Ramos is the executive editor of the Indianapolis Star as well as state editor for the Indiana Gannett properties. Green is the Midwest Regional editor for the USA Today Network. Photo by Denny Simmons McCarter named new editor for Evansville Courier & Press, Henderson Gleaner Richardson named Perry County News sports editor Richardson

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