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Post Register Publisher Roger Plothow fired Executive Editor Dean Miller on Wednesday, citing a desire “to change the direction of the paper a little bit.” A veteran of three decades in Idaho journalism, Miller began his career at the Twin Falls Times-News. He moved to the Spokesman-Review of Spokane, Wash., where he manned the newspaper’s Sandpoint bureau and later its full-time office in Boise. In 1995, he was named city editor of the Post Register and was promoted to executive editor a year and a half later. In August 2007, Miller began a nine-month fellowship at Harvard University in Boston, returning to the Post Register last summer. Miller’s removal comes at a time when many newspapers are reducing staff sizes and cutting budgets/Corey Taule, Idaho Falls Post-Register. More here.
Question: Do any of you remember former Idaho Falls editor Dean Miller (shown above in Boise in 1994) when he was running the now-closed Sandpoint office of the Spokesman-Review and later serving as our Boise bureau chief?
D.F. Oliveria is a columnist and blogger for The Spokesman-Review. Huckleberries Online was judged the best 2008 Idaho newspaper blog by the Idaho Press Club. And the best 2007 news blog in the Pacific Northwest by the Society for Professional Journalist. Print Huckleberries is a past winner of the Herb Caen Memorial Column contest by the National Association of Newspaper Columnists. The Readership Institute of Northwestern University cited this blog as a good example of online community journalism.
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Bent on February 19 at 12:43 p.m.
Wasn’t it Dean Miller who took LaRocco down on the affair. I remember reading a series he did on LaRocco, where he followed him back to DC and shadowed him. I was just a cub reporter back then, but I remember thinking how cool it would be to get an assignment like that…
jazzyvandal on February 19 at 12:58 p.m.
Very interesting. What direction is the paper going? I try to keep up with the Post Register. It was easier in college because I could read the paper at the library.
Mariannel on February 19 at 2:07 p.m.
Obviously, as journalists, we can’t make assumptions. If I were able, however, I would assume that Dean’s absence will create a huge void at the Post Register. Maybe the paper won’t see it that way, but I’m guessing the readers will.
I worked with Dean during some of the glory days of the Spokesman-Review. I learned from Dean. I was inspired by Dean.
I giggled my head off frequently while sitting at the same counter where Dean performed his journalistic magic. Listening to Dean worm information out of virtually anyone over the phone was truly like watching a magician perform artistry with ease.
He was funny. He knew what questions to ask, how to ask them and when to ask them. He was direct. He was piercing. He was relentless.
I also heard a few choice words from Dean–more than once.
I often received encouragement from Dean, usually whenever “Newman” had growled at me. And, that was often.
Both Dean and Newman–as evil as he (the latter) seemed–had the most profound impact on my writing skills and my career, next to my high school journalism adviser, Bob Hamilton, of course.
Dean needs to find some folks who still have money, convince them to fund a paper, turn him loose and to allow him to practice journalism, hand-pick a bunch of other talented, out-of-work journalists and to allow him to practice in its ideal form.
A pipedream, yes. But, oh, what a service that would be in the pursuit of truth!
Good luck, Dean. I’ll always be your grateful admirer, and I’ll never ASS-U-ME that you’ll be out of work for long.
Marianne
DFO on February 19 at 2:19 p.m.
>Both Dean and Newman–as evil as he (the latter) seemed–had the most profound impact on my writing skills and my career, next to my high school journalism adviser, Bob Hamilton, of course — Marianne Love<
We had two nicknames for former Regional Editor Dave Newman: “Human Newman” and “Fumin’ Newman.” We never knew which Newman was coming through the door on a given day. Fortunately, I was a contemporary and simply ignored when he was going a little nutso. Offsite, he was a genuinely nice person. I still relish the time when he was unhappy with a lead that I had written late on a Friday afternoon. I was pressed for time b/c I had a dinner engagement. When Newman told me that I’d have to stay longer to fix it, I grabbed my coat and told him to enjoy fixing it himself b/c I was outtathere. Basically, the lead was fine and he wanted to show me who was boss.
MikeK on February 19 at 2:24 p.m.
I haven’t followed the Post-Register for several years now. There was a time that they had arguably one of the best newsrooms in the state with Dean Miller and Marty Triilhaase focused on Idaho news (among others, Corey included, who is a good reporter). I don’t know if Marty is still there. I did know Dean when he was up here in Coeur d’Alene, but not real well personally. Professionally I thought he was a very good reporter and analyst and he definitely understood how this state works. This is a bummer for Dean - hopefully he’ll find something interesting quickly and I hope it’s in state. We need to keep the long-timers around to provide perspective on government.
Arpie on February 19 at 3:09 p.m.
Dean and I have a close mutual friend. When I lived down that way I met him one great fall day for a cast and blast float down the amazing South Fork of the Snake. I remember that he outfished me and got a duck.
14 years as a nonmormon leading a paper in southeast Idaho is quite a feat. I remember his trip to Harvard had something to do with covering the LDS church. I haven’t read the results of that. I would like to.
It sounds like not being a Mormon was part of his undoing. I know I’ll see him again over the next couple of summers on a river somewhere. When I get back from that trip, I’ll let you know where and how he has landed.
Callisto on February 19 at 10:58 p.m.
The loss of Dean Miller is huge, not only for Southeast Idaho, but for all of Idaho.
The series that earned him a year at the Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard, and reporter Peter Zuckerman the Livingston Award as one of the nation’s best young journalists, is “Scout’s Honor.” The series is still available at the Post Register website (http://www.postregister.com/scouts_honor/index.php)
The real heroes of the story are the young brothers who had the courage to hold the Boy Scouts of America accountable for sexual assaults perpetrated by a camp counselor, but the story would never have been told if not for Peter Zuckerman and Dean Miller. The story of the story is told in a two-part Exposé documentary available at http://tinyurl.com/cpehcs Watch it, and you will be amazed.