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Cliff Sims
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| Cliff Sims | |
 | |
| Basic facts | |
| Organization: | Yellowhammer News |
| Role: | CEO |
| Location: | Birmingham, Ala. |
| Affiliation: | Republican |
| Education: | University of Alabama |
Cliff Sims is the CEO of Yellowhammer News, a news site that publishes stories on culture and politics in the state of Alabama. Sims is a former college basketball player at Delta State University and worked for a time as a recording artist. Sims also hosts a daily radio talk show in north and central Alabama.[1]
Career
Cliff Sims played college basketball and was a recording artist before getting involved in Alabama politics. Afer playing basketball at Delta State University, Sims attended the University of Alabama, where he graduated. He was the chair of the University of Alabama College Republicans and regularly wrote for the Daily Caller in college. In 2010, he managed the campaign of state Rep. Barry Moore (R).[2]
In 2011, as a student at the University of Alabama, Cliff Sims started a blog called "Yellowhammer." The blog was refashioned into a news site, "Yellowhammer News," in 2013 and became an outlet for conservative news in the state. Sims started the site because "people were starved for news in Alabama."[3] Sims is considered to be an influential reporter in Alabama because of his access to conservative politicians, including Speaker of the House Mike Hubbard (R). According to Eddie Curran, a former reporter for the Mobile Press-Register, "Those in the know — which is to say, people who follow state politics at all closely — accept as a given that Yellowhammer is connected to House Speaker Mike Hubbard."[4] In terms of Alabama political reporting, Yellowhammer is seen as the conservative alternative to mainstream media sources and to the progressive Alabama Political Reporter, a site with ties to the Alabama Education Association.[5]
Noteworthy events
Team of Vipers
In January 2019, Sims released the book, Team of Vipers. The book described Sims' experiences working as an aide for President Donald Trump.
In an interview about the book, Sims said, "You know what, I was a viper, I was a part of that team. I did a bunch of things that I wish I would've done different, but I wanted to get into a place that was a really strong team environment."[6]
Top influencers by state
Influencers in American politics are power players who help get candidates elected, put through policy proposals, cause ideological changes, and affect popular perceptions. They can take on many forms: politicians, lobbyists, advisors, donors, corporations, industry groups, labor unions, single-issue organizations, nonprofits, to name a few.
In 2015, Ballotpedia identified Cliff Sims as a top influencer by state. We identified top influencers across the country through several means, including the following:
- Local knowledge of our professional staff
- Surveys of activists, thought leaders and journalists from across the country and political spectrum
- Outreach to political journalists in each state who helped refine our lists
See also
- Yellowhammer News
- Alabama
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ North Jefferson Republican Club, "Cliff Sims," accessed November 10, 2015
- ↑ Alabama Republican Party, "Cliff Sims," accessed November 10, 2015
- ↑ Advertiser-Gleam, "Marshall folks part of Yellowhammer News," June 27, 2015
- ↑ Mr. Dunn Goes to Montgomery, "E-mails Reveal Role of Power Co lobbyists in Yellowhammer News attacks on Dunn," accessed November 10, 2015
- ↑ Alabama Media Group, "Today, #IamAlabamaPoliticalReporter. Tomorrow, Je suis Yellowhammer?" January 13, 2015
- ↑ ABC News, "Former White House aide Cliff Sims describes 'team of vipers' under Trump in interview on new book," January 28, 2019
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