Rising Conway Log Cabin Democrat reporter recognized nationally by Editor & Publisher gets inspiration from kin

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“His positive attitude is contagious, and morale is improved with his presence in the newsroom,” Steward continued. “I was delighted, but not surprised, when E&P selected him.

A 2020 graduate of the University of Arkansas at Little Rock with a bachelor’s degree in mass communication and a minor in sports management, Rutherford got his start at the Log Cabin Democrat when he was selected for a summer internship that same year through the Arkansas Newspaper Foundation. The nonprofit arm of APA sponsors college journalists to work as interns in newspapers who are members of the Association.

Rutherford, who worked as a sports reporter and editor for U.A. Little Rock’s student-run Forum newspaper until his senior year, is in his third stint at the Conway newspaper. After his internship in the summer of 2020, he returned to the central Arkansas daily in December of that same year and worked there through August 2021.

Following a brief period working at Easter Seals Arkansas’s Little Rock Developmental Preschool, Rutherford came back permanently to the Paxton Media Group newspaper in June 2022.

“And I have been (here) ever since,” he said.

As noted by Stewart, Rutherford has become the Log Cabin Democrat’s senior “do-everything” reporter, shoe-leathering a wide range of beats from Faulkner County school and community news to localizing stories concerning legislation at the 94th

General Assembly.

Rutherford said if not for his parents and brood of relatives with a love of writing, he would not have a career in journalism.

“I’m from a family of writers. My dad’s a writer. My grandfather was a writer. My brother and uncle are writers. So, writing has always been something that has been ingrained in me from a very early age,” explained Rutherford. “Growing up, I was obsessed with sports but couldn’t play very well, but I could write about it. So, from about 10 years old on, I was fairly confident that I was either going to be a sportswriter or something in journalism.”

Rutherford said it has been equally exciting to share the E&P news with his family. His parents, Kris and Karen Rutherford are former Arkansas news industry veterans who now own and publish The Roxton Progress, a small biweekly newspaper in northeast Texas.

“I would like to think that they are proud. My dad was just blown away when he learned that I had won the award from E&P,” said the Gen-Z reporter. “They work in the newspaper industry and they’ve all been just great supporters of me. I wouldn’t be where I am if not for the family of writers I grew up in.”

Rutherford said it was his dad, a former Maumelle freelance writer, who first lit a fire under him when he was only 12 years old. Whenever he would write anything, his father would play the role of the tough newspaper editor.

“He would come to me, and we would go over my writing, and he would mark all over it,” said Rutherford. “It would drive me crazy, but I learned from an early age.”

In the E&P article, Rutherford talked about how the Log Cabin Democrat higher-ups have mentored him and provided further opportunities to gain experience and learn his craft from the ground up. His advice to other cub reporters is this:

“Ask questions, take on additional responsibility when you’re ready, and take the time to learn as much as possible from them,” he said. “As a young journalist, I’ve found that the learning process never ends. I’m always listening to mentors and researching new ways to hone my craft. I want to put myself in a position where I can one day provide the same level of mentorship my editor offers me.”

When asked what’s ahead for his career as a journalist, Rutherford said the E&P recognition has confirmed his career choice and encourages him to continue to improve.

“Each day, I try to take on more than I did the previous day and branch out into something new,” said Rutherford. “I want to keep trying to expand and grow, and five years from now I would love to be writing for some big publication somewhere.”