Many of you may have read — but hopefully not noticed — The Tribune has undergone a few changes in management in the past week.

To catch up those who didn’t know, publisher Michael Caldwell left to take a position with an affiliated newspaper in Niles, Mich. Josh Morrison, our circulation director, has stepped up to be our general manager, while I have taken on the role of news editor.

I’ve been a reporter with The Tribune since May 2010. Some of you may know me from my time covering the village of Coal Grove or, more recently, Ironton City Council and common pleas court.

For those who haven’t met me, I’m originally from Concord, N.C.If you follow NASCAR, you know exactly where that is. It’s just north of Charlotte.

Usually, the first thing people ask me when they find out I’m not a native Tri-Stater is, “What are you doing here,” or, “Why did you want to move here,” with a hint of surprise in their voice.

It’s a pretty short story, actually.

I had never heard of Ironton, but when I graduated from The University of North Carolina at Charlotte and started looking for a job in my field, the opportunities did not come flooding at me. Large newspapers were not looking for new hires, especially inexperienced college graduates like myself. Likewise was the case for the TV and radio markets.

I sent resume after resume, widening my search, until I saw a listing for a part-time reporter job at The Tribune. So, I went for it.

I’m pretty sure Caldwell knew I was much more inexperienced than I tried to let on, but he took a chance on me. Maybe it was because I kept pestering him with enthusiastic emails, but that’s something for which I will always be grateful.

I appreciated the opportunity to have a chance to start fresh with a new career, even though I had to move more than 300 miles away from the only home I had ever known.

I had a somewhat surreal moment this week.

I interviewed a candidate for a new reporter, something I had never done before. I think I was just as nervous as he was, to be sitting there asking many of the same questions that were asked of me three and a half years ago.

He was fresh out of college, a journalism student, just wanting a job so he could do what he loved. The money didn’t matter. The news beat didn’t matter. I couldn’t help but think back to when I was in that same position, just wanting a chance to prove I was willing to put in the hard work.

I’m optimistic he will fit in well at The Tribune. There will be some learning along the way, but I’m confident he will put forth the effort to be succesful.

As I take on leading the newsroom, I’m sure there will be just as much learning for me as well. Learning to be a leader. Learning when to say no or when to say yes.

Learning how to manage my time in a different way. Learning how not to get overwhelmed by a job I enjoy.

I cannot tell you I won’t make a mistake, but I can tell you I’m going to work my hardest to ensure we continually improve the newspaper and cover stories that are important to our readers.

 

Michelle Goodman is news editor at The Tribune. To reach her, call 740-532-1441 ext. 27 or by email at michelle.goodman@irontontribune.com