Events have been moving so fast that I’ve had a hard time keeping up. But it’s past time to catch up on changes in my world.
First up, there are three significant departures from Mountain Xpress: Reporter Brian Postelle is leaving to work in public relations for the city of Asheville; managing editor Jon Elliston is leaving to pursue a dream of writing a book; and I’ve left to pursue my passion, the blog Ashvegas and what’s happening in our community.
Postelle has accepted one of two new jobs created at Asheville City Hall built around the use of social media. Postelle will work in public relations, and specialize in the use of social media to tell the city’s story. Postelle has the perfect background for the job – he’s been covering City Hall for Xpress for the past several years.
Elliston has decided to move on to pursue creating a book, and movie, out of a three-part series he published in the Xpress about two years ago. The series focused on Camp Summerlane, a summer camp in Rosman that focused on a multi-cultural experience in a beautiful mountain setting. The issue was that the local good ‘ol boys didn’t like the idea of race mixing, and it made for some explosive times. Elliston captured it all, and wants to expand upon it in book form.
Now to me. You’ve probably already the story the Xpress ran last week about my leaving. I came to Xpress two years ago, and have had a great time making new friends with Xpressers and covering the news for a locally owned publication that’s deeply connected to the community. I’ve learned a lot along the way and have nothing but praise for Xpress.
But it was time for a change. And the Asheville Citizen-Times stepped up and offered me a new opportunity. So I’ve decided to move my allegiance back to where I started as a journalist in Asheville. There, I’ll be blogging and working on figuring out how to get solid blog content developed and into print. It’s an exciting chance.
All along, this blog has been a creative outlet for me and an ongoing experiment. It’s been you, loyal readers, that have made it what it is today — a valued community outlet for news, information and entertainment. I hope you’ll continue to come along for the ride.
32 Comments
Who cares if the Mountain Oppressed knew or not it was Ash’s decision and they obviously weren’t using him to his full potential.
Not everything the Oppressed writes is gold, its usually old and rehashed, and good for lining a cats litter box.
jason… say it isnt so… plz promise ashvegas isnt going anywhere!
I am so excited FOR you and so proud OF you, Jason! Congratulations! This is a Red Letter Day… Your personal investment in this city – in all of WNC really – has led you full circle back to your first Media Love… that being Ashvegas. I cannot wait to see all that you have in store for we readers in the years to come. We are truly fortunate to have you at the helm of WNC’s news, arts, and culture. Thank you for serving your city well. Well done, friend. WELL DONE.
Congratulations.
Reading the comments above, they echo some of my own concerns. Ashvegas has, for so long, acted as a catalyst, a linchpin, anchoring the two major news sources…keeping them honest, so to speak and filling a unique niche. Dear God, Jason – what if you sell out?!?!?
I think those concerns might turn out to be unfounded. As a career journalist, your first loyalty is to the news. (My parents ran a weekly newspaper in a small rural town for more than a decade – they called the paper their spouse and each other their lovers.) Regardless of who signs their paycheck, I’ve known many journalists (smaller-scale in particular) who have a certain moral/ethical code that keeps them digging, investigating, turning over rocks and looking at what’s underneath. What points you in that direction isn’t going away, but you might now have access to certain resources to accomplish things you couldn’t previously, which in the end, might help you get the ‘real’ news out there. You’ve never shied away from controversy, why would you start now?
Good luck. You’re an asset to this community. I look forward to seeing what happens next.
I think you have a lot of integrity, Jason – you can’t have been a long-time reader of this blog and not know that. However, I’ve heard from a few folks at Mountain Xpress that they had no idea you were moving back to the C-T and that you had told them that you were leaving to exclusively work on your blog. They seem less disappointed with your move to C-T than the fact that you weren’t open about it. And I can’t help wondering why you weren’t …
The doors we open and close each day decide the lives we live. Fortunately for you Jason, you’re really not closing any doors but opening up more opportunity. I wish you the best and congratulations on following your heart.
Happy Trails!
You’ve beaten up on the Citizen-Times and Gannett for a long time now yet you are taking a good and independent blog like this one and moving it to the newspaper. Something is not right.
I know that you will loose independence at the C-T. They will never let you present stories, scoops, rumors and other posts like has been done so well in Ashvegas. I just hate to see this dumbed-down by the weak journalistic standards of Gannett, and the even weaker Citizen-Times.
I would like to think you will be making really good money at the C-T, but I know that no local staff make really good money there.
I rarely ever see the Citizen-Times anymore, but I will check-in in the future to see what happens to Ashvegas. It’s really too bad about this, I hate to see the end of what has been an excellent local blog.
I know you’ll do well and I know you’ll maintain your journalistic integrity. People who have as much as you do don’t lose it when they make a career move like this. I look forward to seeing how it turns out.
Did you get another cardboard box on your way back up the stairs? You are a flippy floppy fellow, my fine friend. Best of luck with your new (no, make that your old) job. Does this mean you and Boyle are all buddies again now? Quintin (and if you do have any pull, please tell Phil or somebody who might care that the magnifying glass with the watchdog thingie is the single stupidist story logo that I’ve ever seen. It looks like someone is saying, ‘Look Gannett, look corporate, we really are doing investigative work per the last corporate memo …)
Jason, I wish you luck on your new journey. However, selfishly I wonder what venue will we have now to expose the truth? You have spoiled us with your fearless ability to allow dialog to be heard. You gave so many people an arena to hear both sides of the equation. Your blog had the ability to help bust up the corrupt power structures that kept most of us in the dark. This was exampled by your dedication to The Mission Story. Besides the civic concerns, you have also exposed the more esoteric side of Asheville. I know I speak for many, when I say I enjoyed being in the comfort of my home and being able to access new forms of entertainment, dining and grass roots concerns in Asheville I hope you can bring or maintain the purity of your frontier form of journalism to the old commercial powers that be. I sincerely hope this is a move forward for you, and you bring the paper forward with you as well. Best of Luck.
Jason best of luck with this new opportunity – you have been a great addtiion to the menu for us news junkies – thisis a new era and we are all working to evolve together and with it!
I wish all of these gentlemen well in their new positions. I am very disappointed to learn that this blog is going to be part of the Citizen Times newspaper. That paper is worthless and I doubt that adding this blog will do much good in trying to revive its fortunes. It was always nice to have this independent place to come to for news and events. Personally, I can’t tolerate all the crap and junk on the CT’s web site. Anyway, this was good while it lasted as independent. Too bad.
Great blog you have Jason. BUT, I really hate to see it get eaten up and diluted by a publication as poor as our local newspaper the Asheville Citizen Times
I’m shocked to hear of this news, and my reaction is that this is not a good thing for Asheville and WNC.
This blog is very good and always has a lot of news and information that is more current than the newspaper or WLOS. Like most folks around here, I never even look at the Citizen Times in print or online because it is just a very poor newspaper and the web site is pathetic.
I do enjoy the Mountain Express and hope it continues.
I’m sure being a blogger does not come close to paying the bills so I can understand the need for a full-time job. Surely there has to be a better outlet for this than the Citizen Times!
Unbelievable!
Gads! I hope Ashvegas survives this move. I depend on Ashvegas for news and information about the local community. Ashvegas was the only source with enough backbone to open the Mission Hospital debacle among other important local events.
I certainly wish you luck with any endeavor you choose but worry about the survival of Ashvegas.
Any possibility that the paper will move its offices elsewhere? I hear it’s cramped, freezing or boiling, parking’s expen$ive, and the landlord’s a pain. There’s a TON of cheaper office space in other places. I’m sure it would be a welcomed change.
So you constantly beat up on the Citizen-Times and the editor, and now you’re going back to work there and for that editor?
Dear pot,
Welcome back.
from, the kettle.
This is most disappointing news. When I first read this item, I checked the calendar thinking it might be an early April Fool’s joke.
Regarding the MX departures, it would seem that Jon Elliston is the one moving in the right direction by pursuing his dream of writing a book and movie.
What a waste for a talented reporter like Brian Postelle working as an hourly contract social media flack for the City of Asheville’s PR Dept. Indeed, what a waste!
And Jason, I just can’t believe that you are going back to the Citizen-Times. How could you drink the purple Kool-Aid of the evil Gannett Corp.? I hope this move does not mean the end of the Ashvegas blog as an independent entity. Please, please don’t fold this blog into the C-T’s pathetic attempts at blogging and online commentary. Nothing is really going to help the C-T. The damage has been done to the newspaper over many years and it’s clearly on life support.. Moving the Ashvegas blog to the newspaper is not going to help — it’s like arranging deck chairs on the Titanic.
Jason, more than a few of your many "loyal readers" are disappointed that you have chosen to sell-out to Gannett. I’ll be interested to see if you publish this comment.
Congrats on the new gig. While I’m sad to see the team at Xpress break up, I’m not surprised that the talent there would be lured away by bigger things. You, Jon, and Brian are among the three people I’ve enjoyed meeting and getting to know since moving here in 2007. As a fellow journalist and blogger, you made me feel welcome in this community right off the bat, and it’s something I’ll always appreciate. Good luck in the role–it’s tailor made for you. Please let me know if there’s anything I can do to assist you in your success.
Congrats Jason!!!!!
Your talents were being wasted over at the Mountain Oppressed, the same thing week after week of people complaining and trying to wax political. Your Kung Fu was way too strong for the mountain Ash, much too strong to be wasted in that paper.
Congrats. Good luck in printed media, and don’t forget digital. It is, after all, the future. The Citizen-Times gets smaller yearly, and my beloved NY Times does too… but you can read it all online.
Viva la iPad!
Ash – You know I’ll follow you wherever you go! After all, I’ve been doing it for years….I mean MANY, MANY years, right?! Best of luck as you forge a new path and rejoin our colleagues at the C-T.
This is the best news to come out of the Citizen-Times in a year. I wish every success. Of course, we’ll continue to read.
Keep moving forward, Jason. Can’t wait to see what you’ll be doing.
Good luck in your new job. I vote they change the name to ‘Ashvegas Citizen Times’ to mark the event.
Ash –
I’m delighted to hear that you will still be covering our community. You are such a wonderful journalist. I look forward to continuing to read your blog here and am excited to see what you develop for the paper.
Best wishes!
When the bus pulls up, I’ll jump on, because I’m certain you will continue what has been one hell of a ride! Thanks for bringing energy to the World of Blog here in ashvegas. Good luck, Jason. See you at The Wedge.
Jason. Interesting move . Your blog clearly has a strong following and frequently beats all local media to lots of interesting stories.
But, to remain viable the next step is monetization. Time will tell if a partnership with the A C-T will get you there or not. Best of luck.
Bummer!
Congrats on the new opportunity, Jason! I’ve enjoyed watching the blog evolve over the years, and I’m excited to see what this new chapter brings. Best of luck to Jon and Brian as well.