Faces of Midland: David Clark
Faces of Midland is a collaborative storytelling project celebrating the vibrant lives of those who live, work, and thrive in Midland.
David Clark has a life-long connection to the Midland Daily News.
By Trisha Fenby
Photo by Renee’ Deckrow, Captured Studio
David Clark was just a teenager, waiting for his mom to finish her grocery shopping. Killing time, he scanned the magazine rack at the Giant grocery store, the glossy covers created a collage of celebrity photos and bold headlines. The recent edition of Rolling Stones Magazine caught his attention, featuring a review of the new Van Halen album, the one David had just purchased. He picked up the magazine, leaned against the rack, and began thumbing through the pages with mild curiosity. After reading the review on Van Halen, he felt a flicker of irritation. He scoffed, recognizing that he didn’t agree with this journalist’s take on the album.
And then it clicked, “You know,“ David recalls, “somebody gets paid to do this. What a great job that would be.”
Little did he know that moment would set the stage for a fulfilling career.
David Clark is the Editor of the Midland Daily News. He has held this position since 2022. A native of Midland, David grew up in a single parent household. He now recognizes the community support and mentoring that took place, to help his mom guide him toward his future.
His interest in journalism didn’t stop at the magazine rack in the Giant Supermarket. When he entered middle school, David English teacher, Michael Featherspiel, taught a unit on journalism. David joined the Central Intermediate School newspaper and had his first official piece published. At Midland High School, he joined the Focus newspaper staff, overseen by Amy Hutchinson. Amy saw something in David and new that with the right mentorship, his skill would grow.
“She very wisely saw that I needed a mentor and just a good male figure in my life because my dad wasn’t really around,” David recalls.
Hutchinson contacted Gordon Britton, the editor of the Midland Daily News and an instant relationship was formed. David would stop into the Midland Daily News weekly, sit in Gordon’s office and talk. This relationship had a lasting imprint on David. It was special and it anchored his connection to the newspaper.
While David’s own father could not attend his graduation, Gordon was there. This memory resurfaces every year when David covers the high school graduations for the newspaper.
Gordon even wrote a message in David’s yearbook, “From our first meeting until now, I’ve had confidence that you could do just about anything you set your mind to. Graduation is just the next step. Remember our deal. When you get your degree, I’ll find a place for you if you still want to be an ink-stained wretch. - Good luck, Gordon." This is a message David took to heart. Sadly, Gordon passed before David finished college. Today, David reflects on Gordon Britton and follows his examples of being the editor. To him, being the editor is about responsibility, ethics, and being a conduit for conversation and information in our community.
David recognizes the importance of his role with the Midland Daily News. The newspaper informs its readers. Journalism has always been considered the first draft of history. As the news reports, it is time-stamping the event for historical purposes. The responsibility David feels most deeply is ensuring that all voices in our community are heard.
He explains, “Even within this small town, there’s different neighborhoods with different concerns, all of which are valid, but not all of which are heard equally.”
Listening with an open mind allows a community to learn and grow. Understand a community extends beyond your street, your neighborhood, or your daily routine. Our newspaper provides a channel for those stories to flow.
This message was something he learned early on in his career. David’s first assignment, as a young, new journalist with the Midland Daily News, was to write a story celebrating the 75th wedding anniversary of a local couple. He walked into the interview with a bit of resentment. As a young, single guy, how could he possibly connect with this older couple celebrating decades of marriage? He had no interest in this story.
He sat down at the kitchen table, looked around the room, and noticed all the newspaper clippings featuring family members.
David had a realization. “What we do matters deeply, not just to the community, but on an individual level.”
The impact of a story goes on much longer than the sale of the newspaper on the stand. When he entered the home, he had no idea how he was going to gather enough content to write this story. Upon leaving he couldn’t decide in what direction he wanted to go with the amount of information he collected. With the willingness to listen, and set aside his own biases, David learned a valuable lesson early on in his career.
David went on to college and got his first job with a sister company in Bad Axe, where he met the love of his life. He returned to Midland in 2022 as the Editor of the Midland Daily News. He returned to a Midland that is more self-aware. He sees a community that supports those facing issues of inclusion and equality. And David has a stronger appreciation for what Midland has to offer, such as the Center for the Arts, the Midland Soccer Club, a strong Little League program, a minor league baseball stadium, and two “amazing” high school newspapers. Leaving and returning provided him with the opportunity to see the city differently and value it more.
His wife, Jennifer, found joy in discovering Midland. Coming from the Detroit area, Jennifer had to learn to navigate Midland’s confusing one-way streets but grew to appreciate the ability to get anywhere in Midland in ten minutes.
David hopes that his legacy will show a fair, balanced, and truthful chronicle of Midland. His goal is to provide a newspaper that genuinely served as the voice of the community in all its complexity.