DAPHNE, Ala. — Daphne-area residents can welcome a new face to the area, as a Louisiana transplant comes to cover the Jubilee City in its paper of record.

Devin Golden, 22, joined the Daphne Bulletin Tuesday as its new government-and-features reporter and photographer. Golden, of Harvey, La., recently graduated from Spring Hill College with a Bachelor of Arts in journalism.

His time at the 57-year-old Bulletin marks the beginning of his newspaper career, for which he expressed considerable enthusiasm.

“I am looking forward to the experience of writing for the general news assignment stories and meeting people in my interviews, meetings and events,” the reporter said.

“I hope to write some very captivating stories that will interest readers, and above all else, I hope the general public appreciates my writing and reporting.”

Golden said his passion for journalism comes from a life-long love of writing.

“As a child, I loved to write stories. Through high school, I always had a passion for creative writing and reading the newspaper. I love sports and I love discussing sports and news, and one of the most accessible ways to discuss news and sports is through journalism,” Golden said.

When the opportunity to reach a mass audience presented itself, Golden made a post-graduation move — 140 miles to Daphne.

“The community atmosphere of The Daphne Bulletin immediately caught my eye. The location of the company was also a major positive,” Golden said, referring to the Daphne Bulletin-Spanish Fort Sun office, which is located just blocks away from picturesque May Day Park and Mobile Bay. “The Daphne Bulletin was willing to offer me a chance for some real-world journalism experience in a trying economic time and I was not going to turn that opportunity down.”

He also couldn’t resist the chance to see what things are really like in the newsroom.

“The everyday aspect of a newsroom is always depicted sensationally in television shows and movies, and I wish to uncover exactly what goes on during the normal work day inside a newsroom,” Golden said.

“We love our jobs, but the truth is, the reality doesn’t match the fantasy of film,” Editor Thomas Boni said, referring to how newspaper-office stereotypes contrast with Daphne’s operations. “The first thing new reporters tell me when they enter the (Bulletin-Sun) newsroom is, ‘It’s so quiet!’ A lot of that is because we’re a community paper with a smaller office; plus, there are no banging typewriters or noisy machines, like in the movies. We use computers with soft keys, our press is in Robertsdale — and except for the phone ringing and a police scanner in my office that occasionally makes strange noises, you could sometimes hear a pin drop.

“We cover our communities, but we’re a quiet bunch.” 

As for Golden’s joining the team? 

“We are pleased to work with someone who shares the same enthusiasm for journalism as we at Gulf Coast Newspapers,” Boni said, referring to the paper’s parent company and network of seven other Baldwin County publications.

“Also, be on the look-out for Devin at City Hall and Planning Commission meetings, the library and other Daphne hot spots,” Boni said. “We are committed, perhaps now more than ever, to tell the stories of Daphne’s people, places and events. And we welcome story ideas.” 

To send story tips, e-mail bulletin@gulfcoastnewspapers.com.