The beginning of the new year brings with it some well deserved recognitions for three members of The News Observer staff.
The changes include two promotions.
Sydney Taylor is now Assistant Editor for News.
Taylor joined the staff in July 2018 as a staff writer and “has proved a valuable asset since her first day on the job,” Publisher/Editor Glenn Harbison said.
“Sydney has a sixth sense when covering news,” Harbison said. “She can pick out what is important, the things our readers think are important, and get the full story.”
In her new role, Taylor will be responsible for helping coordinate assignments, determine the importance of stories and their relevance to the local newspaper’s readers, and help oversee the final production of the newspaper.
Caleb Collins is now The News Observer’s sports editor.
Having started his career as a sports writer last April, “Caleb has grown to handle every aspect of our sports coverage, everything from making his own assignments to designing the sports pages,” Harbison said.
“Caleb has grown in his role every day. His new title is a recognition of what he has already accomplished for our readers,” Harbison said.
Lauren Bearden will continue in her role as assistant editor, but will now be primarily responsible for the Welcome and Information Please magazines along with several of the newspaper’s special issues during the year.
“Lauren’s favorite articles are those about people. Defining her role let’s her do what she enjoys most, which is good for our readers,” Harbison said.
“Just like she has from day one, Lauren will tackle anything that is thrown her way, but now she will have more freedom to touch the community with her writing talents,” Harbison said.
“Recognizing the talents of these individuals, and making sure they are aligned to use those talents, will help make the newspaper the best it can be for years to come,” Harbison said.
“There have been many factors that have gone into making these changes possible, but among the biggest of these is the newest member of our editorial staff, Mollie Allen. Joining us with no journalism training, she has consistently grown into a solid staff writer,” Harbison said.
“I couldn’t be more proud of the hard work all of these individuals, and everyone on The News Observer’s staff, puts forth every week. It takes a team to continue the respected tradition of The News Observer, the newspaper our readers and advertisers have trusted for over 47 years,” Harbison said.