Sinclair becomes new editor for Laurinburg Exchange

LAURINBURG — The Laurinburg Exchange welcomed Tomeka Sinclair as the publication’s new editor earlier this week.

“I am happy to welcome Tomeka to our team,” said Amy Johnson, the general manager of the Laurinburg Exchange. “We look forward to her contributions to our newspaper and our community.”

Sinclair, who’s in her first job as the editor-in-chief, worked as a features editor for The Robesonian in Lumberton for the last five years.

Denise Ward, the Robesonian’s publisher, said the chance for Sinclair to advance in her profession was well-deserved.

“I have watched Tomeka grow through the years, proving to be a tremendous asset to our organization,” Ward said. “Her co-workers and readers alike will miss her in Robeson County but are thrilled that she has accepted this new opportunity with the Laurinburg Exchange.”

A native of Robeson County, Sinclair graduated from The University of North Carolina at Pembroke in 2016, where she worked at the Pine Needle, the school’s newspaper.

Sinclair said she “discovered her love for writing and journalism” while there.

“I got to teach and learn at the same time, which was a great experience,” Sinclair said. “That was my first time working with a group of people and being over a group of people, mainly students.”

Sinclair joined The Robesonian after she graduated and now comes to Scotland County with several goals she’d like to accomplish as editor of the Laurinburg Exchange.

“I’ve picked up a lot of tools and honed in on skills at The Robesonian that I hope to utilize at the Laurinburg Exchange,” Sinclair said.

“Scotland County is very community oriented and I hope to highlight that with hyperlocal content,” she added. “I think Laurinburg, specifically, is growing quickly and I want to be a part of that, and hopefully grow this paper with Laurinburg.”

The Laurinburg Exchange will host a meet-and-greet for the community with Sinclair in the near future.

Sinclair can be reached by telephone at 910-506-3169.