Latest news with #WestVirginiaPressAssociation
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Newspaper executive and former West Virginia lawmaker Doug Skaff Jr. dies in highway accident at 48
CHARLESTON, (AP) — Doug Skaff Jr., a West Virginia newspaper executive and former Democratic legislative leader, died Tuesday following an accident on Interstate 79. He was 48. Skaff was president of HD Media, which publishes the Charleston Gazette-Mail, the Herald-Dispatch of Huntington and several other state newspapers. The Gazette-Mail announced Skaff's death on its website Tuesday night. Details of the accident, which the newspaper said occurred in Lewis County in north-central West Virginia, weren't immediately released. An operator who answered the telephone for the Lewis County state police office said she had no further information. Skaff served in the supermajority-Republican state House of Delegates for nearly 11 nonconsecutive years representing Kanawha County. He resigned his seat in 2023 and switched to the GOP before a failed campaign for secretary of state in 2024. Skaff also was interim executive director of the West Virginia Press Association and recently was part of an ownership group that purchased a popular restaurant in Charleston. Skaff planned to run for state Senate next year, according to the secretary of state's website. 'I am heartbroken to hear about the passing of our friend Doug Skaff,' Gov. Patrick Morrisey said on the social platform X. 'Doug was a longtime state legislator, the Minority Leader of the West Virginia House of Delegates, and omnipresent in the Charleston community. He will be greatly missed by many.' Skaff is survived by his wife and three sons. 'Doug Skaff was more than just a colleague; he was a friend to many of us, even after he left the legislature," West Virginia Democratic Party Chair Mike Pushkin said in a statement. 'His humor was infectious, and his dedication to his family, particularly his love for his children, was evident in everything he did.'
Yahoo
08-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
West Virginia Press Association fostering next generation of reporting talent
Feb. 8—CHARLESTON — Before hosting the West Virginia Press Association's annual legislative lookahead forum, Interim Executive Director Doug Skaff went prospecting for talent. "I've made a commitment to get into the universities and say, 'We want a partner,'" Skaff said. "We want to partner with you. We want to show off your talented students in whichever way we can. What better way than to have them come see events like this and get them involved." As a result, this year's Legislative Lookahead was perhaps one of the largest attended, Skaff said. Fresh eyes and ears joined industry veterans, asking tough questions to members of the legislative leadership and Gov. Patrick Morrisey's cabinet. Bailey Parsons, from Marshall University's The Parthenon student newspaper, asked Del. Roger Hanshaw for more details on the liabilities to the state budget he mentioned during his panel presentation. Parsons was interested in how Hanshaw and the legislature would address any liabilities that would impact her future as a college graduate. Skaff said all industries need to nurture the next generation to fill the jobs of tomorrow. What better way, Skaff said, than to bring students to an event filled with media professionals, where students can watch professionals at work, as well as expose them to what media outlets exist across the state. The WVPA also has internship opportunities it can connect students with. Skaff said this time, they didn't cap how many students a school could send, opening it up to as many who wanted to attend. The result was a Daily Atheneum team and capstone class from West Virginia University as well as the newspaper from Marshall University, as well as one student from Fairmont State University. WVU student Tayler Pillo is a senior in the journalism major. Pillo, 21, was there as part of her capstone class. It was her first time attending anything like the event. Although she's still figuring out what her future will look like, she thought it was interesting to see some legislative reporting. Pillo is aware of how the media landscape is changing, which is why she's considering a career in multimedia. Pillo said it's important for young people to get involved in journalism because they're going to shape how the field works in the future, which will be dominated by digital. "There is a shift happening right now, and that's kind of what our Capstone focuses on," Pillo said. "We're looking at how AI can be integrated into journalism in a way where it's not replacing jobs. It's just aiding journalists, so I think it's good for young journalists to get into whatever they can to get some experience and see what they're doing." Twenty-two-year-old Wade Sullivan, a senior in Marshall's multimedia journalism program, said it was also his first time at the Legislative Look Ahead. He said there hasn't been enough reporting toward the lower economic demographic in the state, and he wants to be a part of that. It's why he's doing his training in West Virginia, and he plans to remain in the state after graduation. Attending the event was a good opportunity to learn from other journalists. "More than anything I learned from the journalists here, specifically the ladies from West Virginia Watch," Sullivan said. "I think they had some incredible questions to ask and the other reporters here as well. Learning those kinds of questions, how I should phrase things better, things like that." Pillo said there's been a big shift in how young people get their news. Younger people want short news summaries or only consume news through social media. She said the transformation is on par with the first transformation from paper to digital. Pillo belongs to a new generation consuming news this way, but at the same time, she can transform news to be consumed how her generation does it. Sullivan said for the past 200 years there's always been a shift. How news is collected and spread changes with each leap in technology. "Print, unfortunately as much as I hate to say, is dying," Sullivan said. "And so is reading gigantic articles. We have to figure out creative ways to communicate news to the public while still keeping them well informed." Skaff said he wants to get kids hooked on journalism even younger. He's approaching high schools looking for ways to get more young people involved. "If we get involved at the earliest age possible and make them a part of the process," Skaff said. "Print their works, I think this industry will be alive and well for a long time." Reach Esteban at efernandez@
