Dennis Hill to retire, John Joyce named new News-Argus editor
By From staff reports
Published in News on July 19, 2017 5:50 AM
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Full SizeNews-Argus editor Dennis Hill is retiring at the end of the month after more than 30 years at the newspaper.
His position will be taken over by current city editor John Joyce, 36, who has worked as both a reporter and editor for the newspaper.
Hill, 62, began at The News-Argus in March 1986, and worked as a reporter, photographer, city editor and managing editor before taking the reins of the newspaper in November 2015.
A native of Deep Run in Lenoir County, Hill began his newspaper career as a sportswriter in Kinston at the Daily Free Press before moving to Winston-Salem, where he won an award from the North Carolina Press Association for feature sportswriting while working for the former Winston-Salem Sentinel newspaper.
He turned to news upon coming to Goldsboro, and over the years covered just about every beat at the newspaper, including the police and sheriff's office, local, state and national government and politics.
Hill left the newspaper in 2003 and worked for the Fayetteville Observer for a time before returning to The News-Argus as a photographer in 2004. He soon returned to the editor's desk and was named the city editor in 2005, and later the managing editor.
"Goldsboro has become my second home," he said. "I appreciate the many people I have worked with over the years who have made my time here both enjoyable and productive."
Hill said he plans to return to his family farm in Lenoir County and "piddle" about the land, enjoying the outdoors.
Joyce is a veteran of the U.S. Air Force and the son of a career Navy chief. The military lifestyle kept him and his family on the move, having lived and gone to school in several states growing up. He came to Goldsboro from Jacksonville, Florida, where he graduated high school and departed for the military. He would later return to Florida and earn his degree in humanities/communications at Jacksonville University, after which he began his career in journalism, which included a stint at another news outlet in Pennsylvania. Since returning to The News-Argus he has continued to hone his skills in managing newsroom resources and participating in the team assigned to select the new newsroom editorial/web system.
"I look forward to the opportunity to serve the community as editor of The News-Argus," he said, "and I hope to continue the strong tradition of journalism that has been the hallmark of the newspaper for more than a century."
Publisher Hal Tanner III praised Hill for his work as both a reporter and editor.
"I have great respect for Dennis and have enjoyed his time at the helm of the newsroom," Tanner said. "He will be missed very much."
Tanner said he expects Joyce to carry on the tradition of strong leadership at the newspaper, as evidenced by the standout careers of editors such as Henry Belk, Gene Price and Mike Rouse.
"John's background includes a variety of experiences and solid reporting and newsroom management -- credentials that will serve the community well," Tanner said. "He knows how to prioritize news coverage and produce a newspaper that represents the highest ethical standards for accuracy, truthfulness and fairness. It will be a pleasure to see him grow in his new position."