LAURA JOHNSTON is an assistant professor and news editor for the Columbia Missourian. Before joining the Missourian staff in 2005, she was the assistant managing editor-features for the Southeast Missourian newspaper in Cape Girardeau, Mo., where she produced daily feature sections and niche publications for Rust Communications. She has worked as a reporter and copy editor during her career. A Missouri native, she is a 1995 graduate of the Missouri School of Journalism.