Pat Stith
Pat Stith is the best reporter there ever was.
Not at The News & Observer. Not in
I had the good luck to work with him at the N&O in the early 70s. We once worked together on a story about state government misusing federal jobs money. I learned more about journalism that month than I would have learned at journalism school.
He is absolutely honest. And the most competitive person I ever met.
We used to be in a group that played basketball at Ferrel Guillory’s church on Sunday afternoons. When Pat played, you would end the day bruised and sore. Even if he was on your team.
The excellent front-page profile in today’s N&O does him justice. But it neglected to mention one of his nastier habits from years back. He chewed tobacco, and he spit into coffee cups. Cups would pile up on his desk. Some were half-full of coffee, and some half-full of tobacco juice. It was hard to tell which. Occasionally he would turn in copy with a mysterious brown stain on it.
He tried being an editor once. He hated it. And he will tell you he isn’t the most polished writer who ever took to a keyboard.
But Pat has a zeal for truth. And this world could use a few more people who have a zeal for truth.
I’ll call Pat today. Loyal soul that he is, he probably will not criticize the company whose financial machinations and miscalculations led to his retirement. But I doubt he wanted to retire. Ever. Pat probably figured he was saving the jobs of a couple of younger reporters. Hopefully, they learned something from him.
John Drescher, the N&O’s executive editor, said Stith was “the soul of this paper.” True.
The N&O has lost its soul.
Click Here to discuss and comment on this and other articles.
Pat Stith
Pat Stith is the best reporter there ever was.
Not at The News & Observer. Not in
I had the good luck to work with him at the N&O in the early 70s. We once worked together on a story about state government misusing federal jobs money. I learned more about journalism that month than I would have learned at journalism school.
He is absolutely honest. And the most competitive person I ever met.
We used to be in a group that played basketball at Ferrel Guillory’s church on Sunday afternoons. When Pat played, you would end the day bruised and sore. Even if he was on your team.
The excellent front-page profile in today’s N&O does him justice. But it neglected to mention one of his nastier habits from years back. He chewed tobacco, and he spit into coffee cups. Cups would pile up on his desk. Some were half-full of coffee, and some half-full of tobacco juice. It was hard to tell which. Occasionally he would turn in copy with a mysterious brown stain on it.
He tried being an editor once. He hated it. And he will tell you he isn’t the most polished writer who ever took to a keyboard.
But Pat has a zeal for truth. And this world could use a few more people who have a zeal for truth.
I’ll call Pat today. Loyal soul that he is, he probably will not criticize the company whose financial machinations and miscalculations led to his retirement. But I doubt he wanted to retire. Ever. Pat probably figured he was saving the jobs of a couple of younger reporters. Hopefully, they learned something from him.
John Drescher, the N&O’s executive editor, said Stith was “the soul of this paper.” True.
The N&O has lost its soul.
Click Here to discuss and comment on this and other articles.