Southeast Missourian increases Jackson coverage, creates dedicated web page

The Southeast Missourian opened a full-time news bureau last week and launched a new web page to expand its coverage of news in Jackson and Cape Girardeau County.

Former business writer Brian Blackwell is working in the Jackson office full time, five days a week. Blackwell covered Jackson and county government from the Jackson office two days a week previously. As part of this transition, the Southeast Missourian has also created a new Jackson web page, which gathers all Jackson content into one place. Jackson residents can find news, sports, education stories, obituaries, births and more on this page. Jackson residents are encouraged to send their photos and stories to the site as well. Blackwell will be writing a blog on Jackson topics, and readers will have access to forums created for Jackson discussion.

"Having lived in the Jackson area for 12 years now, I know that Jackson has its own identity and voice," editor Bob Miller said. "I hope Jackson residents enjoy the new page and use it to engage in the news and happenings in town."

The web page can be found at www.semissourian.com/jackson.

To coincide with Blackwell's move to Jackson, the Southeast Missourian recently hired Melissa Miller to cover business for the newspaper. Miller, no relation to the editor, previously worked as the director of the Arts Council of Southeast Missouri. Miller was raised in Jackson and worked in the newspaper business for seven years before taking public relations roles. She graduated from the University of Missouri's journalism program.

"Melissa will be a good fit on the beat," Bob Miller said. "She's already familiar with many business sources; she's familiar with the landscape and has experience both as an editor and reporter. I'm sure she'll do a great job and bring meaningful news to our readers."