Erik Horne of The Athletic Talks the Life of Writer vs. Editor, Subscription Models in Sports Media, and More
By Liam McKeone
Erik Horne is a breaking news editor for The Athletic. He joined the Press Pass podcast to discuss the path he took to get to this point, starting off as an unpaid journalist for Score Atlanta under the tutelage of I.J. Rosenberg. He worked his way up the ranks as a prep sports editor and writer before ending up at The Oklahoman, working as a web editor and eventually becoming the Oklahoma City Thunder beat writer. Horne spent four years on that beat before heading to The Athletic, where he pulled double duty as a writer and editor before transitioning to breaking news editor full-time.
Horne discusses the line he has to walk as a breaking news editor to entice readers to subscribe to The Athletic without giving up too much of his writers' work, the subscription-based model in sports media at large, and the importance of the connections he made with the National Association of Black Journalists as a young reporter. He also explained why Little Caesars Arena in Detroit has the best setup for media members, what restaurants in OKC he's excited to back to once the world is normal again, and more.
Listen to the full episode below.
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