Danny Carter Q&A

ALBANY — On the eve of his retirement Albany Herald Managing Editor Danny Carter looked back on his 45 years in the newspaper business, first at The Tifton Gazette and then his nearly 30 years with The Albany Herald.

Did you have a mentor in the business?

A. I was fortunate in my first job that Robert Morrell was the editor. He was such a strong editor and had just the right style to motivate and teach me. A session with him going over my early stories, which I am certain were mediocre, was more valuable than anything I learned in the classroom. Bob moved on to a high management position with Thomson Newspapers and died a few years ago, but there is rarely a week that goes by that I don’t recall and use something he taught me.

Who are some of the most interesting people you have interviewed?

A. I’ve talked to a number of famous people, ranging from a one-on-one with President Jimmy Carter to Bob Keeshan, better known as Captain Kangeroo, a fixture on CBS for about three decades. Those are high-profile examples, but I actually enjoyed talking to people who do wonderful things far away from any spotlight. Lots of interesting people in Southwest Georgia. It’s like the folks at Swamp Gravy sing: “Everybody’s got a story to tell.”

Who are some of the people that you have encountered that you respect?

A. I’ve always enjoyed talking with businessmen and women. I have lots of respect for people who are willing to risk everything to open a business. And, because we deal with with people in politics so much, I have always respected people in political office or positions who were both smart and honorable but also were willing to take the time to talk with journalists despite their work load. Those at the top of my list, the really great ones, were Jeff Bodine Sinyard, Alan Reddish, Richard Crowdis, John Culbreath and the late Roy Lane.

Who are some of the most memorable people you have worked with?

A. Two of those are in the same newsroom right now. Jim Hendricks is so talented and without a doubt the most versatile journalist I have been around. An extremely talented pro. He can tackle any type story. And, I don’t know of anyone who is more dedicated to his craft than Carlton Fletcher. He’s passed up more financially lucrative opportunities because of his love for newspapers and I appreciated him daily. Like Jim, Carlton can write anything and do it at a high level, including columns. I’ve worked with Gary Shelton, former sports columnist with the Miami Herald and Tampa Bay Times, who twice has been picked as national sports columnist of the year. Scott Shepard and Nolan Walters, who worked with me in Tifton, both went on to serve as Washington Bureau chiefs. And John McClellan, now a district attorney in Rome, was memorable for his writing and his love of politics. There are dozens more and they know how much I respected them. There is one common thread. Many times I would read what these people wrote and think: Dang, I wish I had written that.

What stands out as one of the things you’re most proud of during your career?

A. I think if I looked at me, as an individual, I think coverage of Bobs Candies closing, was probably my better moment. It was just a very amazing story; it caught my interest and it’s a story that I was dealing with daily for a long time. I had the good fortune of having access to the McCormack family, and they were willing to talk to me and keep me up to date, and I felt like it was The Herald’s story.

Now, the other thing that kind of stands out to me, and this is very much a shared memory, because I was just a link in the chain, and that was coverage of the 1994 flood. I thought that was, by far, our high water mark. We were fully staffed, we had good, talented people here, we had people that were committed to doing whatever it took to get the paper out and have what people needed to know in the paper. People looked to us for information, and that’s a responsibility. It’s one thing to do a feature story, but when you have people counting on you to tell them where to go for help and what to do to survive, it’s just an amazing opportunity. Looking back at some of those papers, it’s amazing what we did.