Newsmakers

Promotions, additions, retirements and other staff changes at Texas newspapers.

MATTHEW TAMEZ
Coastal Bend Publishing

REFUGIO – Matthew Tamez has joined Coastal Bend Publishing as editor of the Goliad Advance-Guard and the Refugio County Press.
The appointment was announced by Kevin J. Keller, content director for Coastal Bend Publishing.
A native of Corpus Christi, Tamez is a gradate of Del Mar Community College with an associate degree in journalism. As a student, he wrote for the school newspaper, the Foghorn. In addition, he won a first place award in graphic design from the Texas Intercollegiate Press Association.
He is also a graduate of Texas A&M University in Corpus Christi, where worked for the student newspaper, Island Waves. His reporting there covered topics such as the school budget and feature interviews. He served as managing editor and as editor during the pandemic.
“It was certainly an intense year,” Tamez said, “from the pandemic to the elections. However, we managed to continue turning out stories and issues. Never missed a publication date despite the circumstances.”

CARTER MIZE
Marshall News Messenger

MARSHALL — Carter Mize is the new reporter, photographer and deputy editor for the Marshall News Messenger.
Mize is completing his degree in journalism at the University of North Texas, where he reported for the campus newspaper, the North Texas Daily, for several years. His coverage of local protests and police violence earned him awards from the Hearst Journalism Awards program, which honors achievements in collegiate journalism.
A native East Texan, Mize comes to Marshall following an internship with the Tyler Loop, a non-profit publication covering agriculture, public health and transportation.
At the Messenger, he covers city news in Harrison County communities as well as regional transportation issues.

KEITH CAMPBELL
Retiring from Dallas Morning News

DALLAS – Keith Campbell, a 31-year veteran of The Dallas Morning News, is retiring as managing editor after leading the newsroom through its reporting on the COVID-19 pandemic, a summer of racial justice protests and an epic winter storm.
Campbell has held leadership roles in just about every section of the newsroom, from sports to directing the paper’s border and Mexico coverage.
Early this year, Campbell told News publisher Grant Moise about his plans. Katrice Hardy, who joined The News in August as executive editor, credited Campbell for ensuring a smooth succession in newsroom leadership.
“In my nine weeks here, and even before I arrived, Keith has been a great partner,” Hardy said. “I will miss his passion, his dedication to The News, to our newsroom and to our community.”
After an email last week announced his Dec. 3 retirement, the accolades from newsroom colleagues flowed fast.
“Keith came to us as a news editor from the St. Petersburg Times, and he evolved in so many different roles and did them all well,” said Bob Mong, former editor of The News. “Plus, he’s a nice person and resilient, which is what it takes now to work in this environment.”
Campbell’s career at The News included some of the best financial years for the newspaper industry and some of the most difficult.
Campbell joined The News in 1990 as an assistant news editor and earned a series of promotions from deputy sports editor to communities editor to managing editor and vice president in 2018.
Mike Wilson, who was The News’ executive editor until he stepped down in September 2020, praised Campbell’s work in a position he described as “an absurdly big job.”
As the longtime editor responsible for the newspaper’s front page, Campbell witnessed history on multiple occasions. One election night, while overseeing the copy desk — the final stop before the paper is put to bed — Campbell called the editor to say, “We need to stop the presses.”
While movies have made that phrase famous, it’s rarely used. The election night headline in 2000 said George W. Bush had won the presidential race. But in the early morning hours, it became clear that it was too close to call. The presses stopped rolling and The News was able to reflect the uncertain outcome.
Moise described Campbell as a passionately dedicated journalist and leader for The News for over three decades. “He has always approached his craft with an even temperament and a steady hand,” Moise said. “Keith will be missed by many across our company, including myself.”
Campbell said he’s not sure about his retirement plans. “It’s hard for me to imagine not doing something involving words, ideas and leadership,” he said. “I’m excited about whatever lies ahead.”