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Yet, there are challenges in every story.
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Creators and Guests
Host
Lynn Jones
Lynn Jones-Turpin is a long-time American journalist, associate editor, and community media leader based in Jacksonville, Florida. She is best known for her work with the Jacksonville Free Press, one of the city’s historic Black-owned weekly newspapers, where she has built a career of more than 30 years covering local news, sports, culture, and issues affecting Jacksonville’s African American community.
What is Behind the Scenes with Lynn Jones?
I'm Lynn Jones, and I need your support to open the floodgates for youth in pursuit of fresh career paths in sports journalism.
Purpose Statement
ProTALKS Florida exists to give young people hands-on access to the real world of sports journalism. We connect high school and college-aged students with working professionals, live events, and practical training so they can see, touch, and try this career for themselves. Our purpose is to turn raw curiosity about sports and media into clear skills, confident voices, and tangible opportunities that students can carry into college programs, internships, and entry-level roles.
This podcast was designed to help elevate our voices in special, transformative spaces where we are needed most.
Okay. And and giving all of the players, the NBA All Stars, their flowers.
Speaker 2:You have to see this
Speaker 3:I will absolutely look it up. On the bleacher report. You have you have my word. Yes. I will look at that.
Speaker 1:So the free press, yes, we're inundated with calls and people coming by and just wanting to hear my voice. And and then everyone now with stories because they know me. They know me personally now. I I I still open up the office at 9AM. So these these people know me.
Speaker 1:So the lady today, she called, and and I did it recently a story on her daughter because she graduated from nursing school.
Speaker 2:So that's that's that's a good thing.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 1:But the way they wanted the heading and the way that boom boom boom with you, as I explained to her, you don't understand news. And so we said that the the, title had to do with challenges because it took her a while, you know, so but she didn't like she just wanna say congratulations, but you have to have a caption in the heading because there are challenges in this story.
Speaker 3:The hero's arc. That's that's exactly what it is. Yes. Yeah.
Speaker 1:Yes.
Speaker 3:Struggle, overcome the struggle, enjoy the fruits of your labor.
Speaker 2:Mm-mm. No. Why are you
Speaker 3:Not bad.
Speaker 1:You I think
Speaker 2:eat the butter. That's the beer.
Speaker 3:Time. Yeah. How are you balancing still writing? And then with all the travel obligations and your phone blowing up, how are you how are your days structured now where you're able to get it all done?
Speaker 1:Well, I have a few people behind the scenes that work under me. I have a web developer. I have a management scheduler. So everybody basically just came on board. Even my publisher had started helping me with my schedule.
Speaker 1:I mean, it's it's few fewer and far in between than it was far no.
Speaker 2:It's fewer and I don't know. But
Speaker 3:We're in further in between.
Speaker 2:There you go. Yes. Help me out now.
Speaker 3:I got you.
Speaker 2:Use that college degree. Use that college.
Speaker 1:Yes. So I keep a calendar. I definitely keep a calendar. I'm a publishing our publisher and I keep a calendar because she's away on trips also. She's in executive leadership in her sorority and her organizations herself and her being the publisher of the newspaper.
Speaker 1:She had been Sylvia Perry. She's been doing the paper since she's been sixteen sixteen. Yes. Yes. And in other individuals in the city like Senator Tracy Davis, Rockman Johnson, Charles Briggs, they also work for the newspaper too.
Speaker 3:I didn't know that
Speaker 1:they come up through the newspaper.
Speaker 3:Yes, I have had Rockman Johnson on PD and Jax. Yes, I didn't know that.
Speaker 1:Well, I mean, well, I'm telling you this.
Speaker 3:I appreciate that.
Speaker 2:I'm telling you.
Speaker 1:You're educated. Colby Pittman. I mean Yeah.
Speaker 3:Also on council. Yes.
Speaker 2:Yeah. All the all the
Speaker 1:young executives have come up through the free press.
Speaker 2:Yeah. That's right.
Speaker 3:You're educating me. I'm telling
Speaker 1:you because because miss Rita was a phenomenal woman. And then her and I coming from the Motor City