Hinkley said he intends to remain connected to readers and members of the community. “Hinkley is the perfect person to now lead the newspaper, and I am confident he will produce the best community newspaper in the state of Michigan.”
“Certainly, I realize the importance of this transition for our readers,” Speer said. Speer said he has confidence in Hinkley’s abilities and believes he will excel in his new role, and that the paper will stay strong moving into the future. He added he has no intent of moving anytime soon. He said he’s had an affection for Northeast Michigan for years, and was thrilled to be able to get a job and a new place to call home. Hinkley said his family used to vacation in Alpena when they came to visit his wife’s family, who live in the area. It will be my job to create an environment that will allow them to do the best job they can do.” It is the staff that makes this paper happen every day. “When I started, I told my staff they were the rockstars, and I was their roadie,” Hinkley said. Hinkley said he is proud of the direction of the paper, and attributed the recent success to his staff in the newsroom and other critical departments such as advertising, circulation, press, layout, and mailroom employees who work as one to produce a paper six days a week. The News made a splash last year when the paper and reporters won several awards from the Michigan Press Association and the Associated Press, including in categories for feature writing and enterprise reporting. He said providing quality content to readers online, as well as in print, will continue. Since Hinkley was hired, the paper has bolstered its online content, which includes more photos, videos, and interactive graphs, tables, and charts. “Hinkley’s career path reminds me so much of my own, and I see many of the same qualities in him that I always have believed were important in this position.” “I am pleased to see Ogden Newspapers choose Hinkley for the publisher’s role,” Speer said. He said watching Hinkley’s career unfold is like looking in the mirror to when he was climbing the corporate ladder. Hinkley’s predecessor, Bill Speer, has been the publisher at The News for 30 years, and is retiring next month. “We will be a place in the community for people to have a voice.” “We are going to continue to build on our enterprise reporting, and telling good stories, and be an avenue for local businesses to tell their stories through advertising,” he said. He described the ambitious goals of the paper and staff as “punching above our weight.” He said his goal is to have The News be the best paper in northern Michigan, then the best in the state, and then one of the best in the country. Hinkley said he has set the bar high for the paper and is intent on making the paper the best it can be. Mason, 12, is a student at Thunder Bay Junior High School. Darby Hinkley was born and raised in Alpena and graduated from Alpena High School.ĭarby Hinkley is the Lifestyles Editor for The News, replacing Diane Speer, Bill Speer’s wife, when she retired in November 2018. In July 2018, Hinkley, his wife, Darby, and their son, Mason, moved to Alpena and Justin Hinkley became managing editor of The News, overseeing newsroom operations. He earned more than a handful of awards for his reporting and investigative work. He began his journalism career in 2006 as a reporter for the Battle Creek Enquirer, before taking a job with the Lansing State Journal reporting on state government.
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