Brooks promoted to Editor

By Jessica Coleman

Contributing Writer

    The Jackson County Herald-Tribune will have a new man at the helm soon, although the face should be familiar to most.

    Current leader Millie Diaz is stepping down to pursue other personal and professional interests. Diaz recently released a historical fiction novel which is gaining some momentum, and she will be writing a comprehensive history for the Velma Lee and John Harvey Robinson Charitable Foundation.

    In her absence, Michael Brooks, who has been employed as a reporter at the Herald-Tribune in some capacity for the past six years, will fill the newspaper’s leadership role as General Manager. Brooks began his employment at the publication covering football games as a stringer. He’s always been a “sports guy,” although his first love isn’t football.

    “We hire football stringers, for football games only, and people who know me know that I love football, but baseball is my big thing. So, when baseball season started up in February or March, I went to the games voluntarily and was writing articles. I lived in Placedo at the time, so every time Industrial had a home game, if I could, I’d go over there and write an article and send it in. I just loved doing it.”

    Several months later, he stepped up to full time when a position came available.

    Because of the nature of a small town paper, he has been a familiar face all over Jackson County for the last five and a half years. Brooks can be found at the courthouse collecting court and jail records, on the sidelines of just about any varsity sports match, or in the office typing away at everything from the livestock market reports, to football scores, to feature stories about interesting Jackson County folks. He’s put together and designed pages for special sections and magazines and proofread hundreds of articles in his time. He’s done everything, just about, except run the place.

    That changes with his promotion to General Manager.

    Brooks says he isn’t nervous for the reasons he expected to be. “I thought I was going to be nervous because it’s like ‘hey, you have all these extra duties, and you’ll be doing all these things, and juggling a lot of balls,” he said. “But I’m actually nervous because I’ve never really been in a leadership role in a community. I look forward to serving the communities we cover, appreciate the chance to lead the staff, and that makes me a little nervous.”

    Still, Brooks is excited about the new adventure at the helm of the hometown newspaper.