Sachem Patch Has a New Local Editor

Good evening Sachem Patch readers; my name is Matthew McGevna, and I'll be heading up the site from here onward. I wanted to take some column space to introduce myself and provide a little background.

It's been a while since I practiced local journalism on Long Island, and I'm excited to be back covering news and features that resonate on a local level. My first experience in journalism dates back to 1998 when I was hired as a production assistant at News 12 Long Island. At News 12 I worked my way up to associate producer and had the honor of spot producing for special segments, such as elections, court verdicts and sports.

After I moved on from that experience I had another opportunity to cover local news as the editor of the Malverne/West Hempstead Herald. After that I was wooed to New York City to serve as news editor of PRWeek, a national business magazine that covered the public relations industry.

Most recently I freelanced for Long Beach Patch, covering mostly government and real estate stories for the local editor. It was through my freelancing work that I became aware of the opportunity at Sachem Patch, and the rest, as the cliche goes, is history.

I have a firm conviction that, despite the changing landscape of traditional media, local news will always have a place, because local media stays on top of the stories that matter when the rest of the daily broadcast and print outlets have left to chase the next big thing.

I'm looking forward to meeting everyone in my coverage area, and shedding light on the news, events, people, and issues that are right in your back yard. If you see me in the field, don't hesitate to approach me and say hello. My email address is matthew.mcgevna@patch.com, and my phone number is (631) 375-1313. Feel free to contact me with breaking news tips, feature suggestions, blog post ideas, or to let me know about an important event you would like to see covered.

Moving forward I will continue to deliver the quality news and information you've come to expect here at Sachem Patch!