I wrote my first opinion column when I was in high school, fifty years ago. Guest columns have been part of my career from collegiate days at Penn State, Syracuse, and Ohio University to teaching jobs in Cincinnati, Texas, and Knoxville, Tennessee.

Along the way I’ve picked up several honors for column writing, including two prestigious Sigma Delta Chi awards. I write this not to brag, but to establish credentials for evaluating the state of opinion writing.

It’s not good. The practitioners at some of our largest newspapers are as good as ever, but the bench of opinion writers at other publications dwindles daily. Newspaper chains have dropped many paid local columnists—relying instead on handout material and letting it linger on the front directory pages of news sites for days or even weeks.

Dear Friends,

The Knoxville News Sentinel, effective end of next week, is discontinuing all four local columnists (Greg Johnson, Frank Cagle, Ina Hughs, and me). Next week's column will be my last in that role.
I'm still seeking other opportunities to write columns and will keep you posted. These past several years have been a blast. Twice I've won a Sigma Delta Chi national award for column writing, and have been honored with local and regional awards as well.
My life as a professor of journalism and electronic media goes on, unaffected by this disappointment.

Much love to all my readers, Mark Harmon