Changes

Thorn's [[newspaper]] career began at ''The Monroe News-Star,'' then known as ''The Monroe Morning World,'' at which he reported on [[government]], [[politics]], and the state capital. He subsequently was an editor of ''The Shreveport Times'' in [[Shreveport]]. Both publications were then owned by the family of John Dunbrack Ewing (1892-1952). He was named the press secretary to [[U.S. Representative]] and [[Governor]] [[Edwin Edwards]]. He continued as the press spokesman well into Edwards' second term as governor and in that capacity became acquainted with many of the leading journalists in the state.<ref name=jdthorn/>  

Thorn's [[newspaper]] career began at ''The Monroe News-Star,'' then known as ''The Monroe Morning World,'' at which he reported on [[government]], [[politics]], and the state capital. He subsequently was an editor of ''The Shreveport Times'' in [[Shreveport]]. Both publications were then owned by the family of John Dunbrack Ewing (1892-1952). He was named the press secretary to [[U.S. Representative]] and [[Governor]] [[Edwin Edwards]]. He continued as the press spokesman well into Edwards' second term as governor and in that capacity became acquainted with many of the leading journalists in the state.<ref name=jdthorn/>  

Thorn once observed that the southern press in the 1960s rarely reported on crimes against [[African American]]s:<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.zoominfo.com/s/#!search/profile/person?personId=91443982&targetid=profile|title=Dr. J. Dale Thorn|publisher=zoominfo.com|accessdate=May 17, 2014}}</ref>"The metro press really didn't cover that type of thing." A case in point was the burning death of Frank Morris, who operated a shoe repair shop in Ferriday in Concordia Parish, an unsolved racially motivated killing.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dailycomet.com/article/20091226/ARTICLES/912259987/0/NEWS03?p=7&tc=pg|author=Matthew Barnidge|title=LSU student media, Small-town paper calls attention to unsolved civil-rights killings|date=December 25, 2009|publisher=''Lafourche Parish Daily Comet''|accessdate=May 17, 2014}}</ref>​

Thorn once observed that the southern press in the 1960s rarely reported on crimes against [[African American]]s: "The metro press really didn't cover that type of thing." A case in point was the burning death of Frank Morris, who operated a shoe repair shop in Ferriday in Concordia Parish, an unsolved racially motivated killing.<ref>Matthew Barnidge, LSU student media, Small-town paper calls attention to unsolved civil-rights killings," ''Lafourche Parish Daily Comet,'' December 25, 2009.</ref>​

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Upon leaving the Edwards administration, Thorn joined the staff of the Louisiana Board of Regents and became associate commissioner for higher education. He worked to settle a dispute between the state and the [[United States Department of Justice]] over [[Segregation|desegregation]] of higher education in Louisiana. He then joined the administration of [[Northwestern State University]] in [[Natchitoches, Louisiana|Natchitoches]] as vice president for academic affairs. He returned to LSU in Baton Rouge to teach journalism and public relations as professor in residence with an endowed scholarship at the Douglas Manship School of Mass Communication. He retired from LSU in 2000 and relocated to his native Brandon near [[Jackson]], the Mississippi state capital.<ref name=jdthorn/>​​

Upon leaving the Edwards administration, Thorn joined the staff of the Louisiana Board of Regents and became associate commissioner for higher education. He worked to settle a dispute between the state and the [[United States Department of Justice]] over [[Segregation|desegregation]] of higher education in Louisiana. He then joined the administration of [[Northwestern State University]] in [[Natchitoches, Louisiana|Natchitoches]] as vice president for academic affairs. He returned to LSU in Baton Rouge to teach journalism and public relations as professor in residence with an endowed scholarship at the Douglas Manship School of Mass Communication. He retired from LSU in 2000 and relocated to his native Brandon near [[Jackson]], the Mississippi state capital.<ref name=jdthorn/>​​