Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Arkansas native Goff to oversee state news
Yates named assistant sports editor
LITTLE ROCK — Steve Goff, assistant sports editor of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, has been named the newspaper’s state editor.
Goff replaces Heidi White, who has moved out of state.
Copy editor Jason Yates succeeds Goff as assistant sports editor.
As state editor, Goff supervises a team covering the entire state, including two reporters in Little Rock and reporters based in Conway, Fort Smith, Jonesboro and Pine Bluff.
“Steve has a special skill set that lends itself to that job,” said Managing Editor David Bailey. “He’s an Arkansan. He knows every corner of Arkansas. He knows its history.
“He’s a great planner. He’s worked both [ in Little Rock] and in Northwest Arkansas. … He’s just a natural choice.”
Goff, 47, is a native of Heber Springs and a 1991 graduate of the University of Central Arkansas where he obtained a bachelor’s degree in journalism.
He started at the Arkansas Democrat- Gazette in 1991 as a general assignment sports reporter before joining the sports copy desk and later being promoted to assistant sports editor.
In 1998, Goff relocated to oversee the Northwest Arkansas Democrat- Gazette’s sports coverage in a 12-county region.
He returned to Little Rock in 2012.
“I was born and raised in Arkansas,” Goff said. “The thing that I’ve learned over the years is that Arkansas is great because you find so many colorful stories in this state. People love the newspaper; they love reading [ it]. I think our paper does a really good job of covering statewide issues. … I think that’s a strength of our newspaper, and hopefully I can help make that stronger.
“I love this state. I’m interested in the entire state. I’ve been around different parts of the state. I’m very familiar with it, and there are stories all across this state that need to be told.”
Yates, 38, joined the Democrat- Gazette in 2013 as a copy editor.
A native of Mayfield, Ky., Yates graduated from Murray State University in Kentucky in 2001 with a bachelor’s degree in journalism.
His first full- time journalism job was as a sports reporter for The Paducah Sun in Paducah, Ky ., covering high school and Murray State University sports, along with the University of Kentucky ’ s home basketball games.
After the Sun, Ya te s oversaw copy desks at newspapers in Indiana and Illinois.
A return to sports is an opportunity to merge two great passions, Yates said.
“I think sports is still one of the more vital parts of a daily newspaper,” he said. “I actually got into journalism to stay close to sports because I have been a passionate sports fan since I can remember. I don’t remember not liking sports. … I got into journalism to be a sports reporter. I started out doing that, and I enjoyed it, but the path led me to copy editing — something else I fell in love with after I got into journalism.”
Yates’ background as a sports reporter and his copyediting skills — along with his management experience — make him an ideal assistant sports editor, Bailey said.
“Like Steve, he’s a great planner. He’s calm under pressure, and probably most importantly, he shows a lot of initiative. … That’s really an important leadership qualification.”
White started as a copy editor at the Democrat-Gazette in November 1999. She served as a national editor, international editor, assistant city editor and assistant state editor before becoming state editor in January 2014.
She has relocated to the Charlotte, N.C., area.
“I am going to miss Arkansas terribly,” White said. “But I’m glad to turn over the state desk to good hands. I have full confidence that Steve Goff will do an amazing job keeping our readers informed about what’s happening all over the state.”