Otis Sanford Gets to the Bottom of Things

Look it’s a bird! It’s a plane! No, it’s Otis Sanford climbing the media ladder of success. Sanford was named president of the Associated Press Managing Editors Association in October, 2009. He was appointed to the board in 2004 and joined the leadership ladder to eventually become president. He was appointed first amendment chair, then kept climbing and climbing from secretary, to vice president, until he reached the top as president.

“It was a great and fabulous honor to be thought of among my piers to lead a great news organization that represents the interest of newspapers around the country,” Sanford said, “and to make sure that the papers stay vibrant, relevant, and in the interest of the public.”

It only took writing one news article in the seventh grade for Sanford to decide journalism was the career for him. He said he started writing for his high school newspaper and took as many journalism classes as he could, but Ole Miss is the place where he really learned to be a journalist.

“Ole Miss has one of the best journalism programs around. It set the ground work for me, taught me what I needed to know, and made me appreciate journalism even more. I was attending Ole Miss when there was an incredible interest in journalism primarily because of the Watergate Scandal, and so the preparations, the class discussions and lectures, and the hands on experience at the Daily Mississippian were invaluable to me,” Sanford said.

His first year at Ole Miss was at the height of the Watergate hearings Sanford said. Senator Howard Baker, who was also part of the Watergate Committee, came to speak at Ole Miss, and Sanford was assigned to cover the event for the Daily Mississippian. He said Watergate was one of the biggest stories of his generation, and it was a very exciting time to be doing journalism.

Sanford is from Como, Miss. He attended the Northwest Mississippi Community College in Senatobia Miss.,for two years until he graduated. He received a journalism scholarship from the University of Mississippi in 1973. He graduated from Ole Miss in 1975 with a B.A. in Journalism.

Shortly after graduating from Ole Miss, he got a job at the Clarion Ledger in Jackson, Miss., as an entertainment writer. After nine months of entertainment writing Sanford said he decided he wanted to do more serious writing on hard news. He left the Clarion Ledger after two years and began writing for the Commercial Appeal in Memphis, Tenn., as a general assignment reporter in 1977.

On August 16, 1977, Sanford recalls being assigned to write regular obituaries. Instead, he was given the opportunity of a life time. His editor at the Commercial Appeal got the phone call announcing Elvis Presley’s death. He rushed out of his office and told Sanford to go the hospital. Sanford said he immediately dropped everything he was doing and spent the afternoon interviewing everyone in the emergency room he possibly could. The article was a cover story on people’s reactions of his death and appeared front page the next day. It is still being sold around the world as a souvenir addition.

He began writing federal court beats at the Commercial Appeal soon after. He covered federal trials, federal grand juries, the FBI, and all the federal government offices in the federal building for seven years, until he was promoted to assistant metro editor.

His editor at the Commercial Appeal, Angus McEaron said, “He is really bright, very organized, has great writing ability, listens to people, and is fair minded. He is a true treasure and has a natural instinct for news. He was the smartest hire I have ever made.”

Sanford was an assistant metro editor for a year at the Commercial Appeal until he was offered a job at the Pittsburgh Press in Pittsburgh, Pa. He said McEaron had moved to the Pittsburgh Press and offered him a job as assistant city editor in 1987. He said he stayed at the Pittsburgh Press until a labor strike shut down the paper.

In 1992, he became deputy city editor at the Detroit Free Press in Detroit Mich., for two years, until he got one more phone call from McEaron. He said McEaron had become editor and publisher for the Commercial Appeal and made him an offer he couldn't refuse as deputy managing editor in 1994.

McEaron said, “I stuck with him because I recognize talent. As you get older as an editor you’re trying to groom people to take your place, and he was always someone I thought could do the job.”

Sanford remained at the Commercial Appeal for several years and was named managing editor in 2002. Sanford had many successes during his time at the Commercial Appeal. In 1997 he participated in creating a student newspaper, The Teen Appeal. He said many high schools in Memphis didn't have a newspaper, and he wanted to increase participation in high schools with newspaper journalism. He said it is still going strong today, and some students even moved on to be reporters. In 2000 he started The DeSoto Appeal from scratch. He also launched the citizen editorial board in 2007.

Sanford is currently a political commentator for WREG-TV Channel 3 in Memphis. He said it gives him an opportunity to still have an impact on politics in the community. Sanford has been described as one of the best political commentators.

Sanford uses broadcast news to give his political opinions and inform the Memphis area what is going on in the government. 

WREG-TV anchor and news reporter Alex Coleman said, “Otis cares a lot about Memphis and wants to make a difference. He’ll put you to the test and get the answers the community deserves. He takes pride in being a southerner. He is committed and attached to Memphis. He can share his opinions, because he wants the best for Memphis.”

Coleman said Sanford has a huge impact on the station by analyzing big stories, what issues there are, what should and shouldn't be done, and how politicians should handle things. Sanford’s commentary appears Monday through Friday every week at 4:30 p.m. In a previous commentary he described the Shelby County Commission as "political tyrants out to stifle free speech." He also still writes a viewpoint column for the Commercial Appeal every Sunday.

Coleman said, “Otis’s commentaries and columns lets you know what is right and wrong in his opinion and really makes you think. He affects the Memphis area greatly. He is authoritative, well researched, and takes his work very seriously. Politicians even know if they have done something wrong or something people don’t like, Otis will come knocking at their door.”

                Sanford currently teaches at the University of Memphis where he holds the Hardin Chair of Excellence in Journalism. He said after 35 years of being involved in the newspaper and newsroom it was time to do something different, and he wanted to teach the new generation of journalist what journalism is all about. The University of Memphis was pleased to add Sanford to the team. 

“I love teaching and being around students. I try to help students understand this is a great profession and journalism is one of the noblest things anyone can do. You can impact society, public policy, and be a voice for people who have no voice,” Sanford said.

Sanford said his favorite experience at Ole Miss was making great long lasting friends that are still friends to this day, and sharing the experience of being at Ole Miss with them. They were very close, had great times, enjoyed themselves, built each other up, and kept each other going. He also said Ole Miss taught him the ability to write stories, be a good editor, understand the importance of newspaper style, and gave him the foundation he still uses to this day.