Michael Hinman has joined The Laker and Lutz News as news editor, ready to share stories for and about the great residents of the area, ensuring that everyone gets a voice.
“I’ve known Michael for many years and have always respected his journalistic ethics and enthusiasm,” said Publisher Diane Kortus. “It is great to finally have Michael on our team and look forward to his contributions, which I expect will make The Laker an even better paper than it is today.”
Hinman started his journalism career 20 years ago in northwestern Pennsylvania where he was a sports correspondent for a local weekly, and also broadcast news on a radio station there. He later moved to upstate New York where he worked as a sports editor for the Steuben Courier-Advocate and the weekend editor for the Hornell Evening Tribune.
Hinman moved to Florida in 1996, where he became editor of the Zephyrhills News, and later a deputy editor for the now-defunct Zephyrhills Sun. In 1999, he joined The Tampa Tribune’s Sunbelt Newspaper division, starting as a reporter with its papers in Northwest Hillsborough County, and later becoming editor of the Temple Terrace News.
In 2005, he took a different route in his journalism career and became a staff writer with the Tampa Bay Business Journal, where he covered seven counties and some of the area’s biggest commercial stories. His ongoing coverage of the failed Trump Tower Tampa project in downtown Tampa earned him the Society of Professional Journalists’ top prize for business journalism in 2008. The Florida Press Association, the Florida Press Club and Community Papers of Florida also have recognized Hinman’s work over the years.
Hinman welcomes story ideas and suggestions for topics you would like to see in The Laker/Lutz News. Please reach out to Hinman at (813) 909-2800, or email him at .
