January 28, 2026

News on the ground in East Tennessee

36 minutes

Today Paul chats with Cliff Hightower, managing editor of the Johnson City Press, a regional daily newspaper in East Tennessee. Cliff shares his winding journey from teenage fiction writer to Army veteran to award winning journalist. He discusses the realities of sustaining a local newsroom, from balancing print and digital media to navigating natural disasters.

Links:

Cliff Hightower - LinkedIn

https://www.linkedin.com/in/cliff-hightower/

Johnson City Press

https://johnsoncitypress.com/

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