Morris Multimedia has named Pat Donahue regional executive editor for its Southeast Georgia group, where he will oversee newsroom operations and editorial direction across the company's five community newspapers serving Bulloch, Bryan, Effingham, Liberty and Tattnall counties.
In the role, Donahue will lead coverage and reporting strategy for the group's print and digital publications:
➤ Statesboro Herald — Bulloch County
➤ Bryan County News — Bryan County
➤ Effingham Herald — Effingham County
➤ Coastal Courier — Liberty County
➤ The Journal Sentinel — Tattnall County
Donahue most recently served as general manager and editor of the Coastal Courier in Hinesville, capping a career in Georgia journalism that began nearly four decades ago and has spanned newsrooms across the Southeast.
"Pat has spent his entire career proving that great journalism starts with knowing your community," said Charles Hill Morris Jr., CEO and president of Morris Multimedia. We are a growth-focused organization, and Pat's leadership will help us deliver excellence through local coverage and reporting in every market we serve. Our readers and advertisers count on us to tell the stories that matter across Southeast Georgia, and Pat is exactly the right person to lead that work."
"I am honored to be chosen for this new position, and I eagerly anticipate helping our already outstanding newspapers become even better and stronger outlets for news and information."
Donahue began his career in newspapers — and with Morris Multimedia — as a student at Georgia Southern College in 1988, when the Statesboro Herald hired him to cover Georgia Southern athletics, including the Eagles' run to the Division I-AA national championship football game. He served as assistant sports editor and later sports editor at the Coastal Courier from 1990 to 1996, then returned to Statesboro as sports editor.
Over the following years, Donahue held sports editing roles at the Rocky Mount (N.C.) Telegram and was assistant sports editor and sports editor at the Marietta Daily Journal before returning to the Coastal Courier as editor in December 2002. He was later named assistant sports editor at the Chattanooga (Tenn.) Times Free Press before becoming editor of the Effingham Herald in 2006. He was named editor of the Thomasville Times-Enterprise in 2016 and returned to the Coastal Courier and Liberty County in 2022.
Donahue has earned more than 50 awards from the Georgia Press Association and the Georgia Sports Writers Association. Born on Fort Stewart, he grew up in Hinesville and attended Bradwell Institute. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in physics from Georgia Southern University.
Morris Multimedia's Southeast Georgia group
Morris Multimedia's Southeast Georgia group publishes five community newspapers and their digital properties serving Bulloch, Bryan, Effingham, Liberty and Tattnall counties: Statesboro Herald, Bryan County News, Effingham Herald, Coastal Courier and The Journal Sentinel in Tattnall County. The group operates a printing facility in Statesboro and is committed to trusted, growth-minded local journalism for the communities it serves.