Tucker announced as DAR assistant editor

Tucker

If you work or volunteer at an animal shelter in Poplar Bluff, then you already know the person I’m about to talk about.

And even if you don’t, Samantha Tucker has already had a big impact on the community and her co-workers in the little over a year that she’s been with the Daily American Republic.

Her passion for journalism and positive attitude have brightened up our newsroom and the hard work and dedication that go into all of her assignments have not gone unnoticed.

Today, I’m happy to announce that Tucker is our new assistant editor.

We look forward to seeing what Tucker will do in this new leadership role as she helps us tackle the traditional print products that are the foundation of everything we do, from our daily editions to the regular special magazines and projects we do each month.

She will also help as we continue to build and grow our digital and social media products.

“This promotion excites me because it is an opportunity to improve as a journalist, strengthen the newspaper and serve the community I call home,” Tucker said. “I was offered a job at the DAR at a time when I was ready for change. Poplar Bluff is a beautiful area and I was impressed by the revitalization of Downtown and the friendliness of the people here, particularly those who would become my coworkers.”

Tucker came to the Daily American Republic from the Prairie Press, where her family already had strong ties to the newspaper business.

“Journalism runs in my family,” said Tucker. “My grandmother was a writer for the same paper I started out in. It came full circle because the woman she trained, Nancy Zeman, is now the publisher of The Prairie Press and she trained me.”

Tucker graduated Magna Cum Laude in 2016 from Union University in Tennessee. Her degree is in art with a minor in creative writing.

She began working at The Prairie Press as a paginator after graduation.

“That eventually led me to reporting, and I discovered my passion for it,” Tucker said.

It is a passion that fits in here at the DAR where we have a tremendous staff who work hard every day to continue the 154-year tradition of hometown journalism in Poplar Bluff.

We hope you will help us wish Tucker well in her new role.

Donna Farley is the editor of the Daily American Republic. She can be reached at dfarley@darnews.com.