MACON, Ga. — On-air and online, you may have heard us at 13WMAZ mention our partners at the Mercer Center for Collaborative Journalism.
But moving forward, that program has a new name, and the man it is honoring has a rich history here in Macon and Georgia journalism. He was also once kidnapped in a story that captivated the local and national news back in 1974.
The Center for Collaborative Journalism offers real-world learning opportunities in local newsrooms for Mercer students. But the program also provides coverage of government and politics in Macon-Bibb to partners like 13WMAZ, the Macon Telegraph and GPB.
Reginald Murphy — more well-known as Reg — is a native of Gainesville, Georgia, and got his start in journalism as a reporter at the Macon Telegraph while an undergraduate student in the 1950s.
At a ceremony on Friday, the university officially named the program the Reg Murphy Center for Collaborative Journalism.
After graduating from Mercer, Murphy would make his way up to Atlanta where he was a reporter for the Atlanta Constitution, eventually becoming an editor for the paper.
During his career, he held several high-level positions at several prestigious news outlets. He served as editor and publisher of the San Francisco Examiner, CEO of the Baltimore Sun and as president and CEO of the National Geographic Society.
He was even awarded a Nieman Fellowship at Harvard University, a prestigious journalism program that offers journalists a "transformative" two semesters at Harvard.
However, in 1974, Murphy's life would change when a kidnapper snatched him and demanded a $700,000 ransom from the Atlanta Consitution for his release, which is equivalent to around $4.3 million in 2023 dollars.
The Atlanta Constitution paid the ransom and Murphy was freed two days after his kidnapping. Only hours later, William Williams was arrested for the kidnapping and sentenced to 40 years in jail, but he only served nine years in prison.
After Williams' arrest, all the ransom money paid by the newspaper was recovered.
Beyond his career successes, Murphy was also very involved at his alma mater here in Macon. He serves on Mercer's National Journalism Advisory Board, and he was named a member of the Life Members of the President's Club in 2000.
So when you hear us on air and online mentioning our partners at the Reg Murphy Center for Collaborative Journalism, you know what it is — and the man whose illustrious career the program's name is now honoring.