John Miller, WVNews Executive Editor and giant of Mountain State journalism, has died
By Matthew Young, RealWV
We talk a lot about the “Real West Virginia,” and the stories we tell of the people who make this place so unique. And truly there are no more uniquely West Virginian stories than the ones that came to an end on Tuesday. The first was of a man who devoted decades of his life to helping shape our story, and the second was of a man who spent 40 years sharing it with the world.
State Supreme Court Justice Tim Armstead and WVNews Executive Editor John Miller – both men of principle, both steadfast guardians of the people, both Mountaineers in the truest sense – unexpectedly and unfairly left us Tuesday. But while their work may be unfinished, their impact will be felt for generations to come.
Tuesday’s real West Virginia story was a tale of two true giants, and the legacy they leave behind.
I did not know Tim Armstead, but people that I do know and trust tell me he was a good man. John Miller, however, I knew about as well as we journalists really ever allow ourselves to know each other, beyond the artificial camaraderie, that is. Once upon a time, the burnout and disappointment of a never-ending news cycle left me feeling just a little bit unsure of myself. If you know me, then you know that doesn’t happen very often. But sometimes the putridness just beneath the skin of the stories gets the better of me, and makes me question whether they’re even worth telling anymore.
And then I met John Miller, and he was kinder to me than he had any reason to be.
We broke bread together in some little Clarksburg restaurant. Autumn Shelton and I had driven up from Lewisburg that morning to meet with John, and talk about what the future could look like. And while I can’t speak for Autumn, I will say that what I found in John was a newsman the likes of which I hadn’t seen in a very long time.
Before lunch, John took us on a tour of the very impressive WVNews building. It was an oldschool newsroom, the kind where rolled-up shirtsleeves, cigarette smoke, and clacking typewriters would be right at home. And John’s office, with windows looking out over his reporters, was exactly what you’d expect – a cluttered mess of files, and stacks of papers as tall as a person.
I took John to be a fairly laid back and reserved guy, but his eyes twinkled just a bit when the conversation shifted to music. John was a musician – because of course he was – a drummer, if memory serves. But when our talk shifted back to reporting the news – telling West Virginia’s stories – John’s passion suddenly became contagious.
John offered me a job that day, one which I readily accepted. But then I got home, and the doubt crept in.
What if I wasn’t good enough to write for John Miller? What if I couldn’t live up to the standard he had set over four decades of West Virginia news reporting? Ultimately my self-doubt got the better of me, and I rescinded my acceptance of John’s offer.
These days I’m very happy with where I am professionally. The work is fulfilling, and I get to work side by side with people who have become my family. I’m proud of what we’ve built together, and excited for where we’ll take it in the future. But I’d be lying if I said I don’t regret the doubt that cost me the opportunity to write for John Miller. If I had spent a little time beneath his tree, I’m pretty sure I’d be better for it.
John leaves a massive void in West Virginia’s ever-shrinking pool of journalists. To borrow a quote, on any given news day, most of us don’t know whether we’re the boxer, or the bag. John was a boxer, and we need more boxers to tell West Virginia’s stories.
