Serving Barnwell County and it's neighbors since 1852
Jonathan Vickery
Some say newspapers are dying. That’s not the case at The People-Sentinel.
Yes, things have certainly changed over the last 15 to 20 years. The internet and social media have impacted the economic outlook for many papers, leading to layoffs, other cutbacks, and even closures. The economic downturn from the late 2000s and the COVID pandemic in 2020 certainly didn’t help. However, newspapers still play a vital role of informing the community while holding public officials accountable.
Roughly 2,000 newspapers have closed across the United States over the past 20 years. That void has left many news deserts – communities without a dedicated newspaper. A news desert can also be a community that has a news organization that isn’t viable or does not cover local news.
Prior to July 2021, years of cutbacks from a series of corporate owners had left The People-Sentinel a shell of what it once was, with just three employees and a print product that was being limited to 8-10 pages a week. I knew something had to be done to save my hometown newspaper. That’s why I decided to take a leap of faith and purchase the newspaper in July 2021. The newspaper was finally back in local hands for the first time in more than 30 years.
As the publisher and owner of The People-Sentinel, I’m proud to say that Barnwell County’s hometown paper has not become another sad statistic.
In fact, 2022 was an exciting year that brought growth to our locally owned newspaper.
Some highlights of 2022 include:
• Growing team. We created new jobs to grow our team. We now employ seven people, up from three in June 2021.
• Expanded coverage. New reporter Alexandra Whitbeck joined has helped us expand our coverage. We now publish more local news than we have done so in a long time. We also now publish an average of 18 to 20 pages every week.
• More options. In addition to our weekly print paper, we now have a new website for those who prefer their news digitally. Check it out at www.thepeoplesentinel.com.
• New features. We continue to add new features to the paper, such as the coupon inserts that now appear two to three times per month.
That excitement continues into 2023 as we look forward to more growth, including:
• Moving to our new office. Work is underway to renovate the former Evelyn’s Jewelry & Gifts on the Circle in downtown Barnwell. It will be our new home in a few months. This space will allow our growing team to better serve our community.
• Expanding into Allendale County. Though we’ve been publishing a regular Allendale County News page, a grant will allow us to do even more by helping fund an additional reporter. This won’t take away from our Barnwell County coverage.
• New podcast. In conjunction with the Southern Palmetto Regional Chamber of Commerce, we will launch a podcast to tell stories about local people and issues in an audio format.
Why do we continue to invest in local news?
As our reporter Alex stated recently, “Hyperlocal news is a blessing to the community.”
We are our community's only true source for news. We publish content you can't find anywhere else. From hard news stories covering local government, education, and crime to features on people's accomplishments or birth announcements, we publish news that matters.
On behalf of our team, I’d like to thank everyone who has supported us, especially our valued readers and advertisers who have helped us grow. Y’all are why we continue to do what we do.
We also will keep investing in our community, such as supporting fundraisers and sponsoring a hole at the Williston Disc Golf Course.
The future of local news looks bright.
