I bought a camera in college to avoid having to be in photos. It\u2019s been suggested that I entered journalism as a similar attempt to avoid the spotlight. And yet, here I am following the likely wise suggestion of Publisher David Mannis that it would be thoughtful of me to introduce myself. <\/p>\n
Anthony King had his last day at San Diego Community News Network on Friday, where he served as the editor of both San Diego Uptown News and Gay San Diego. About four and a half minutes after arriving at the office on Monday morning, I realized I had some clown-sized shoes to fill.<\/p>\n
Good editing is like an intricate juggling act. And to put Anthony\u2019s editing prowess in juggling terms, he\u2019d be the guy who could juggle four rubber chickens while riding a unicycle. He\u2019d probably be on fire too.<\/p>\n
Under his tenure, SDUN won second place for \u201cBest Local Business Coverage\u201d at the 2013 Independent Free Papers of America (IPFA) Awards, and an SDUN columnist won second place in \u201cBest Original Writing Opinion\u201d at the 2012 Association of Free Community Papers (AFCP) awards. He also won the 2012 Nicky Award for \u201cOutstanding Writer\/Columnist.\u201d<\/p>\n
Anthony deftly oversaw SDUN while adding a personal touch to it, filling the pages with unique insights into the neighborhoods of uptown and midtown. Many will tell you that a good journalist has the ability to remain detached from his subject, but Anthony made his entire community into an ongoing narrative, enveloped himself deeply within it, and crafted his reporting all the better because of his close involvement.<\/p>\n
I think Uptown\u2019s neighborhoods are the reason San Diego allows itself to be labeled a cultural hub.\u00a0 Our current political landscape is putting emphasis back on our city\u2019s bustling neighborhoods\u2014perhaps only because their streets are crumbling\u2014and that gives all the more reason for me to continue the heavily involved coverage Anthony paved the way for with Uptown News.<\/p>\n
As for my background, I\u2019m a recent graduate of San Diego State where I served as the news editor then as managing editor for The Daily Aztec. I\u2019ve written mostly about politics and music, but I stray into features writing when I\u2019m feeling adventurous. I\u2019ve spent time interning for everybody\u2019s favorite \u201ciMayor\u201d Todd Gloria along with a couple other places in the community, like the San Diego CityBeat. In my free time, I enjoy getting hopelessly lost on my bicycle for hours on end throughout the streets of San Diego.<\/p>\n
Although I think of myself as a journalist with all the cynicism and introversion intended for print, I wasn\u2019t sure I\u2019d ever work for another newspaper after college. The popular belief espoused in school\u2014and far throughout the country\u2014is that print is dead. Adapting to the fast-paced environment created by the web should be a newspaper\u2019s top priority, we\u2019re often told.<\/p>\n
But I think this online journalism mantra overlooks the greatest strength of a newspaper like SDUN: the ability to tangibly tap into a community.<\/p>\n
For years SDUN has thrived right alongside its coverage area, housing itself right next door to the Hillcrest Business Association.<\/p>\n