Morning News Gets Hudson Scoop

The Morning News had a scoop on Monday, Aug. 21, that James T. “Red” Hudson had died the previous day in Rogers. Hudson, 81, was the founder of Hudson Foods Inc. of Rogers. Hudson sold the company to Tyson Foods Inc. and IBP Inc. after an e. coli outbreak damaged Hudson Foods’ reputation in 1998.

The Morning News played the story in a prime spot on the front page above the fold. Hudson died at about 3:45 p.m., so it was a good effort by editors Michael Tilley and Leeanna Walker, who shared a double byline on the story, to get the article done for the next day’s edition.

Sundays are usually slow news days, which often results in Monday papers that are full of feature stories. But not this time for The Morning News.

The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette didn’t mention Hudson’s death in its state edition on Aug. 21. The D-G had the story the next day.