When Chris White came to the Columbus (Ga.) Ledger-Enquirer in 2008, he took the desk and phone extension of David Ching, who had departed to become the sports editor in Athens.
It will be déjà vu all over again for White later this month.
White has been named the sports editor of the Banner-Herald in Athens, where he again replaces Ching, who is now the beat reporter for ESPN’s website devoted to University of Georgia athletics.
In Columbus, White covers 20 high schools, Division II Columbus State University athletics and the Columbus Lions indoor football team. Before joining the paper, he spent more than two years at the Lake City Reporter, covering high schools, Florida and Florida State football and local recreational sports, while also editing and doing page design.
“The Banner-Herald has been a leader in online journalism, and I am excited to become part of a culture that is not afraid to try new things as the way people search for, find and consume news online evolves,” White said. “I am fascinated by what web data can show us about what readers are truly care about, and I am eager to find ways to better serve them with that information and through new outlets.
“The Banner-Herald also has a long history of practicing great journalism, and I am looking forward to taking on the responsibilities that come with those expectations.”
In Athens, Ching had won several writing awards from APSE and other organizations, along with supervising a five-person sports staff, as well as a group of frequently used freelance writers and part-time desk workers. The paper won Top 10 for special sections in 2010 and honorable mention for daily section in the under 30,000 category. Ching, Lee Shearer and Allison Floyd won first place for explanatory journalism.
He previously spent two years in Columbus as a college sports writer and more than two years as a general assignment sports writer and copy editor. He also has worked at the Cartersville Daily Tribune News for three years as sports editor or assistant sports editor, and as a sports writer at the Thomasville Times-Enterprise.
