Changes at The State, give us your feedback
Please contact us with your feedback at 1-800-888-3566 or at http://new.thestate.com/feedback.html.
Dear Reader,
We know your time is valuable.
We especially want to make the most of the time you spend with The State newspaper, TheState.com and GoGamecocks.com
Starting today, we are publishing print and digital editions redesigned for a faster read while delivering the depth of reporting you expect from South Carolina’s news and information leader.
We recognize that readers come to us in different ways, at different times. Some skim the headlines in print or on computers, cellphones, laptops and tablets. Others prefer to dive more deeply into the news and commentary. Today’s improvements address both.
The process began in February when the printed newspaper was revamped to add the daily Palmetto section and the Go Columbia entertainment section published each Thursday.
The Palmetto section is unique among South Carolina newspapers, providing a daily, deeper look at the people, places and issues shaping our state. In addition to authoritative reporting, commentary, analysis and photography from our staff, the Palmetto section features outstanding journalism from a 10-newspaper collaboration stretching across South Carolina.
The Go Columbia section is your weekly guide to things to do in Columbia and the Midlands, including dining, music, nightlife, the arts, outdoor recreation and entertainment. The section is part of a lineup that includes Go Columbia content on thestate.com and the daily Go Columbia events calendar on the back of the Palmetto section.
Digital customers will find a cleaner, more efficient presentation that is easier to use. The freshened print and digital designs include updated typefaces to improve readability. Photos are larger. More videos are displayed. The streamlined look helps you find what you want at a glance. Headlines and highlights are included to help you “speed the read.” The display also features an additional home page destination – called “In Depth” – that explains the “how” and “why” of the news. We value your feedback.
Thank you for reading.
Meet the additions to our Newsroom team
Some familiar faces, and some journalists new to the area, are joining The State newsroom. The moves are part of an ongoing initiative to strengthen print and digital coverage. Among the changes:
Paul Osmundson becomes Associate Editor for Editorial-Business-Special Projects. Currently executive editor of The (Rock Hill) Herald, Osmundson is a former reporter at the Columbia Record and news editor at The State. He is a graduate of USC and Lower Richland High School.
Robert Ariail has returned to The State staff as political cartoonist.
A three-time finalist for the Pulitzer Prize, Ariail is among the nation’s most respected cartoonists. Ariail this year – for the sixth time – received the Green Eyeshade Award as the top cartoonist among newspapers in the Southeast United States.
Dawn Kujawa, a USC graduate and journalist for nearly 30 years, becomes Features Editor responsible for coverage of arts and entertainment, as well as the Go Columbia and Palmetto sections.
Erin Shaw, a USC graduate and former reporting intern at The State, has joined the Go Columbia features staff after working as a lifestyle reporter for The (Hilton Head) Island Packet and Beaufort Gazette.
Dwaun Sellers, a former freelance reporter for The State, becomes GoColumbia Coordinator. Sellers is a former correspondent for The (Orangeburg) Times and Democrat. He is a graduate of American University.
Janet Kendall becomes Go Columbia reporter. She is a graduate of the University of Georgia (masters in journalism) and Gardner-Webb University.
Kendall is a former copy editor and education reporter for the Athens (Ga.) Banner-Herald.
Avery Wilks, a 2015 graduate of the Honors College at USC, becomes general assignment reporter.
Robert Moore, a graduate of USC-Spartanburg (Upstate), joins the design and copy desk. Moore has been a copy editor and page designer at The (Spartanburg) Herald-Journal and at newspapers in North Carolina, Florida and Texas.
Elissa Macarin, an award-winning page designer and Kent State University graduate, joins the design and copy desk. She has been a newspaper presentation editor and page designer in Wisconsin, Alabama and Tennessee.
Jared Macarin, a graduate of the University of Florida, joins the design and copy desk. He is a former sports writer, sports editor, sports copy desk leader, prep sports editor and page designer at newspapers in Alabama, North Carolina, Wisconsin and Tennessee.
Noah Feit, a graduate of Syracuse University, joins the Newsroom as a digital producer and member of the design and copy desk. Feit most recently was sports editor and a features writer for The Aiken Standard. He held previous sports editing positions at The Augusta Chronicle and newspapers in New York.
Matt Walsh, videographer and digital producer, becomes Video-Photo Director. Walsh is a former photographer at The (Sumter) Item and the Index-Journal in Greenwood. He is a graduate of the University of Florida.
Harrison Cahill becomes digital news reporter-producer. He is a native South Carolinian and USC graduate who joined The State as a general assignment and public safety and justice reporter.
Are you ready for some football?
Our “team” is warming up for the football season, with additional staff and content planned for covering high schools, USC, Clemson, the ACC and the SEC.
The State’s award-winning coverage is directed by Rick Millians, executive sports editor. Millians joined The State in 2001 after stints as assistant managing editor for Sports and Design at the Cincinnati Post and sports editor of the Macon News. He is a graduate of the University of Georgia.
Also guiding coverage are Assistant Sports Editor-Presentation Meredith Sheffer, a graduate of Indiana University; and Dwayne McLemore, who manages GoGamecocks.com and digital sports content. McLemore is a USC graduate and former reporter in North Carolina and Myrtle Beach.
Veteran journalists returning for another season include Josh Kendall and David Cloninger, and a photo team led by Gerry Melendez, Tim Dominick and Tracy Glantz.
New to the lineup are:
Lewis Bezjak, who becomes Prep Sports Coordinator. He is a former sports writer for The (Florence) Morning News and has previous experience as a sports editor and sports writer in North Carolina. Bezjak is a former sports broadcaster. He is the 2014 South Carolina Sports Writer of the Year in judging by the N.C.-based National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association.
Matthew Connolly, who will cover recruiting, USC sports and S.C. college sports. Connolly formerly covered USC athletics for The (Spartanburg) Herald-Journal and has been a photographer-editor for Fox Carolina television. He is a graduate of USC-Upstate.
Aaron Ransdell, a graduate of Clemson University, joins Sports and GoGamecocks.com as a reporter and digital producer. Ransdell is a graduate of Newberry High School.
Stay tuned for our annual GoGamecocks football magazine, available in home-delivered editions of The State on Thursday, Aug. 27.
And don’t miss our team coverage of the season opener, Thursday, Sept. 3, against the North Carolina Tar Heels at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte.
This story was originally published July 22, 2015 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Changes at The State, give us your feedback."