Jeff Ledington
(He/Him)
Martin
As seen in:
Longview News-Journal,
Blue Mountain Eagle,
Appalachian News-Express,
Hazard Herald,
The News Journal (Corbin, KY),
Franklin Favorite,
Big Country News Connection,
Georgetown News-Graphic,
The Pacer,
Mountain Advocate
and
Covers:
These days I'll cover anything.
Doesn't Cover:
See above.
Interview
What was your first job as a journalist?
The Mountain Advocate, before that I worked on the other side as a media rep.
Have you ever used a typewriter?
No
How is social media changing news?
Social media has added to the issues facing print with loss of advertising revenue. Plus plenty of misinformation and misrepresentation
Who's your favorite fictional journalist?
Perd Hapley
What does it mean to be a journalist?
To keep digging and never compromise.
What's the funniest news-related #hashtag you've seen?
Someone started a
How do you prefer to be pitched on stories?
Email is usually the best, but I'm happy to take any method of pitch.
What tools and software do you use to do your job?
Plenty! Office and Adobe Creative Suite are mainstays. I currently use WordPress for managing ThePacer.net.
What's your favorite social network?
Reddit.
Who do you wish followed you?
The ghost of Edward Morrow.
Why did you become a journalist?
To make a positive impact on my community, I believe truth and facts matter and wish to ensure people have access to important info.
What story are you most proud of writing or working on?
A piece on my town's controversial needle exchange program. There was a great deal of stigma and false info out there to refute.
What advice can you offer to aspiring journalists?
Be tough. Today you'll catch flack no matter how accurate, truthful, and fair you are.
When's the best time to pitch you?
Between sunrise and lunch time, but I check my email all day.
What's the best pitch you ever got?
Fire Chief requested an in person meeting to go over finance issues. Story blew up, he resigned, department shut down, it was a whole thing.
What's the worst pitch you ever got?
Something about the Illuminati and mind control.
What's your favorite drink?
The one in my hand.
When you're not at a computer, where are you most likely to be?
On the road taking photos and hunting stories.
What's the most common misperception about your beat?
Small-town reporters don't really have beats anymore, they have to be a jack of all trades.
Would you like to take the Muck Rack Interview?
Create a Muck Rack profile.