He is best known as the guy who marches through the capitol with a slight scowl on his face as though he is on a forced march, clinging to a small pad and pen. If the name Lawrence Messina is familiar, it’s not your imagination. Open any number of West Virginia’s newspapers and you will read his articles for the Associated Press. Now Larry is lending his talents to the blogging world.

In a newly formed blog named after the famous statue “Lincoln Walks at Midnight,” Larry covers the little details sometimes lost in a session and points his readers to articles of interest.

He first came to West Virginia in 1987 to attend Wheeling Jesuit. After graduating, he worked in various small publications until the Charleston Gazette hired him in 1993. He then joined the Associated Press in 2002 to be the bureau’s statehouse correspondent and hasn’t looked back since. Now a Charleston resident, he lives with his wife, Lesly, and daughter, Sophia, who just turned six months.

I first met Larry Messina while working in the Senate Minority Leader’s office. There are three types of reporters: those with a political agenda, those who cannot get their facts straight and do sloppy reporting, and then people like Larry. His reputation as a factually accurate and unbiased reporter is well known.

His blog is no different. Like a drive through steak house, it’s a quick read, but heavy in information. It is truly a “just-the-facts approach to politics and government in the Mountain State of West Virginia” as his masthead proclaims. But it’s not all drab news; he keeps it fun with interesting tidbits and a quote of the day.

I managed to “catch up” with Larry and ask him about his fledgling site:

How long have you been writing on the site?

“I launched it the first week of the legislative session, so it’s been less than a month.”

What made you start?

“Though it’s a personal blog, I see it as a way to promote AP and its W.Va. bureau. I also wanted to stake out some territory for AP in this new world, which I really find fascinating.”

What are a few of the major differences of between writing for your blog and writing for the AP?

“I’m trying to be a little breezier, hopefully a little more light-hearted at times. Otherwise, my approach is straight-ahead news, just like with AP.”

What do you think about the prognostication by a few bloggers that print news is dead?

“It’s just staggering, how the Internet has changed the way we gather and distribute news in just a decade’s time. I don’t think print news is dead, but clearly traditional forms of media have adapted to this new world with wildly different degrees of success. And the revolution isn’t over yet, so what we now know as newspapers should embrace the future rather than fear it.”

If you could give one piece of advice to the rest of the West Virginia blogging community, what would it be?

“As I’m sure bloggers know, folks appreciate clear writing whatever the medium.”

–

I hate to play favorites, but if I only had time for one blog each day, it would be his.