One of my SJI classmates on Sunday made the comment that Greg Bowers was our official tour guide of Columbia, St. Louis and everything in between. That couldn’t be more accurate. The editor of The Missourian has welcomed us into his home for a meal, taken us to the historic Lewis and Clark expedition starting point, and given us a walking tour of the University of Missouri School of Journalism. But while we were being led onto the field in Busch Stadium, I noticed Mr. Bowers is much more than a good host to the many reporters who stood alongside the Dodgers batting practice.
I knew that Jenifer Langosch, the Cardinals beat reporter for MLB.com, had known Bowers since she used to work for him at The Missourian. But her competition, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, also knew Bowers well. Goold told us that he used to work for Bowers at The Missourian.
All this showed me a couple things. For one, people in this business know everyone. Introducing myself to one editor resulted in connecting with every Cardinals beat reporter. The second thing is that when you are a reporter or editor of a city, town or any community, you almost become a part of that community. You know the ins and outs of the area, as well as the fellow movers and shakers. The last is that people aren’t just encapsulated by their title (even though I do need to work on memorizing them). Greg Lee may be the director of editorial content for NBA.com. Bowers may be sports editor of the Columbia Missourian. But they are also teachers, leaders and network builders. And at times, really good tour guides.
--Zolan Kanno-Youngs
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