Jack McElroy

Jack McElroy grew up in Tucson, Arizona, where he attended the University of Arizona, earning a bachelor's degree in English in 1975. McElroy has worked at various Scripps papers, including the Rocky Mountain News in Denver, Colorado. He worked there 10 years and was managing editor when the Columbine High School shootings occurred. McElroy was appointed editor of the Knoxville News Sentinel in November 2001.

• Jack McElroy: Assuring government's not for sale Published 7/1/2012 at 4:00 a.m. 13 comments

  We've got the best government money can buy. That cliche reflects the cynicism Americans sometimes feel toward a system that seems to favor those with the dough. That's why campaign disclosure laws are so important.

• Jack McElroy: Still not too late for children of the '50s Published 6/24/2012 at 4:00 a.m. 1 comment

  I hope you've been enjoying our yearlong look back at the history of the News Sentinel and of Knoxville. Matt Lakin and the rest of the staff working on the project have been doing a great job. I've certainly learned ...

• Jack McElroy: Let's hear it — yawn — for the dads Published 6/17/2012 at 4:00 a.m. 0 comments

  Today marks the close of the summer holiday season at the McElroy household. The kids can heave sighs of relief. It has been, as usual, a ponderous progression of salutes to the doddering parents.

• Jack McElroy: Knox tax burden has fallen since 1999 Published 6/10/2012 at 4:00 a.m. 30 comments

  The News Sentinel supported a tax increase to pay for the $35 million boost to the school system's budget. Still, it's easy to understand why Knox County Mayor Tim Burchett and County Commission were loathe to take the plunge and ...

• Jack McElroy: Sentinel unveils weather radio app Published 6/3/2012 at 4:00 a.m. 0 comments

  It was a year ago that Knox and surrounding counties were declared disaster areas after a string of savage spring storms. Thankfully, the thunderstorm season has been kinder so far this year, but we've all been reminded of the fury ...

• Jack McElroy: Dumbing down gets ?short shrift a Published 5/27/2012 at 4:00 a.m. 0 comments

  Did you catch the story about the "dumbing down" of Congress? The nonpartisan Sunlight Foundation found that the nation's lawmakers are debating at the average reading level of a high school sophomore, down from the level of a junior back ...

• Jack McElroy: Will paychecks shrink as pay rises? Published 5/20/2012 at 4:00 a.m. 6 comments

  Join me, if you will, in a thought experiment.

• Jack McElroy: Sadly, secrecy mostly ruled session Published 5/13/2012 at 4:00 a.m. 29 comments

  Secrecy was an open-and-shut case during most of the legislative session.

• Jack McElroy: Students' values were focus of bills Published 5/6/2012 at 4:00 a.m. 4 comments

  Education wasn't a big focus of the Legislature this year. Still, lawmakers found some time to dabble, and most bills were forays in the ongoing fight over cultural values.

• Jack McElroy: Winning label can be half the battle Published 4/22/2012 at 4:00 a.m. 6 comments

  State Rep. Bill Dunn called me the other day with a request. Don't use shorthand labels for bills that distort their intentions and play into the hands of critics, he asked.

• Jack McElroy: Bloated pay lies in eye of beholder Published 4/15/2012 at 4:00 a.m. 74 comments

  Knox County Commission candidates invariably list education as a top priority. But with School Superintendent Jim McIntyre asking them to put $35 million where their mouths are, talk has shifted to concern about waste in the district's Central Office.

• Jack McElroy: What Obama and Romney agree on Published 4/8/2012 at 4:00 a.m. 21 comments

  One of the cool things about journalism is that it sometimes gives you a front-row seat to history.

• Jack McElroy: Knoxville stands together for justice Published 4/1/2012 at 4:00 a.m. 2 comments

  This past week, we began to see website traffic rise on old stories and videos about the murders of Channon Christian and Christopher Newsom. The Trayvon Martin case is rekindling interest across the nation in the Knoxville tragedy. At first ...

• Jack McElroy: No alternative to learning evolution Published 3/25/2012 at 4:00 a.m. 14 comments

  Five hundred years ago, the controversial scientific theory of the day was heliocentrism, the idea that the sun, not the Earth, was the center of things.

• Jack McElroy: A case for expanding the madness Published 3/11/2012 at 5:00 a.m. 4 comments

  The birds are singing, the trees are blooming and the days are growing bright. So naturally our thoughts turn to television and hunkering down for 67 games of NCAA basketball, staring with dismal fascination as our tournament brackets dissolve.

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