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02/09/2018
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MARK MELHORN Staff Writer Sep 2, 2018
Started at The Press in 1993 as an Ocean County reporter. Moved to the copy desk in 1994 until taking over as editor of At The Shore in 1995. Became deputy sports editor in 2004 and was promoted to sports editor in 2007.
Miss America and Atlantic City have almost always been linked.
With the exception of the time between 2004 and 2013 (we don’t like to remember the Las Vegas years), the pageant has been held in the resort since 1921, usually at the beginning of September.
And The Press of Atlantic City has always realized how important this national event is to our readers. We provide blanket coverage, both in the newspaper and on our website, from the day the “candidates” arrive in the area to the night the winner is crowned.
It’s one of the few events that still bring national attention to South Jersey. And subsequently we’ve discovered that our audience becomes national, too. Miss America fans from across the country read our stories, view our photo galleries, watch our videos and comment on our Facebook page when we cover the Miss America Organization.
At no time was this more evident than in the last nine months, which have been some of the most turbulent in Miss America’s history.
When the story broke in December about derogatory emails written by then-CEO Sam Haskell about former contestants that eventually led to Haskell’s resignation along with several other members of the board of trustees, we jumped into action, realizing that our Miss America coverage in 2018 would be dramatically different than anything we’ve ever done in previous years of covering the event.
Press Executive Editor Kris Worrell set up a team that included me and two reporters, Lauren Carroll and Erin Serpico, to make sure we stayed on top of a constantly changing and evolving story. From the appointment of former Fox News anchor Gretchen Carlson as the chairwoman of the board of trustees, to the controversial decision to eliminate the swimsuit part of the competition, The Press led coverage and consistently broke news as “Miss America 2.0” evolved over the year.
We were one of the first to report that the state organizations were not happy with the leadership of Carlson and new CEO Regina Hopper, leading to an online petition asking for them to resign. And we’ve been on top of the many resignations and appointments to the organization’s board of trustees. We’ve also written about some of the new things Miss America 2.0 is bringing, including the Gretchen Carlson Leadership Initiative, which will be an education forum designed to empower South Jersey women’s groups.
And Lauren Carroll was the first to break the story about how Miss America 2018 Cara Mund was having “a tough year” and didn’t feel “utilized or appreciated.” The reaction to that story led to Mund releasing a five-page letter accusing the organization of bullying her, which made national news.
It’s been a hectic year with lots of changes (and I suspect even more to come after this year’s competition) and lots of secrecy about what we will actually see at this year’s competition. But as long as Miss America takes place in Atlantic City, The Press will continue to cover it. And we hope you will continue to read it. If you are a fan, be sure to like our Facebook page “Miss America Atlantic City” and go to our website PressofAC.com/MissAmerica for updates.
For frequent updates from the preliminaries and the crowning next Sunday, follow our Miss America team on Twitter — @ACPressMelhorn, @ACPress_LC and @ACPressSerpico.
Mark Melhorn is Press production director.
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