Community Newspapers: New Twist, Old Favorite

So, the way my internship this summer is set up is that each day I visit a different division and business unit of the company I'm working for. Today, I spent time at The Columbia County News-Times in Evans, Ga. The newsroom there was pretty laid back and the publisher was a great guy to talk to. Plus, he took us out to an awesome oyster bar for lunch and for ice cream later :o )

My time there reminded me of our (my fellow intern's and my) visit to Bluffton, S.C. two weeks ago. Both papers are pretty small-town, hyperlocal operations that depend on solid community journalism to draw readers and advertisers to their product(s). One difference, however, is that Bluffton practices a lot of reverse publishing - meaning that online is the primary medium and things that go in print originate there or fall secondary to digital. In Columbia...not so much...yet.

Anyway, both experiences have got me really thinking about where I want to live and what kind of publication I want to work for. And, more importantly, where I can contribute most to the world (I know, more lofty goals :o )