 |
| Type | Weekly newspaper |
|---|---|
| Format | Broadsheet |
| Owner(s) | Mid-South Newspapers Inc. |
| Editor | Gena Huff |
| Founded | 1904 |
| Headquarters | 215 Reform St, Carrollton, Pickens County, AL 35447 |
| Circulation | 4,000 [1] |
| OCLC number | 15344667 |
| Website | pcherald |
The Pickens County Herald is a newspaper serving Carrollton, Alabama. [1] It is published once a week on Wednesday, with a circulation of just under 4,000. [1] The current editor is Gena Huff, who took the helm in 2018, succeeding previous editor Bo Black. [2]
It was established as a Democratic paper in 1904 by Bert Smith and Marion Johnson, formerly of the Columbus Dispatch, [3] [4] and relaunched in 1913 under editor Ben I. Rapport, [5] publishing on Tuesdays and Fridays. [6] In 1914, Rapport was able to recapitalize the paper, bringing in $10,000 of investment and significantly expanding it. [7] The investment allowed the purchase new linotype machines, and was accompanied by a move from Reform, Alabama to Carrollton, where the paper still currently resides. [7]
Rapport was one of a number of Alabama newspaper editors to oppose the Ku Klux Klan, saying "I do not even care to make any mention of this worthless organization, thereby giving them publicity." [8]
For about 40 years, the paper was edited by John ("Jack") Pratt of Carrollton, who was also vice president of the Alabama Press Association for part of that time. [9]
From 1963 to 1986 the Herald was owned and edited by Euteal vann Junkin, [10] a lifelong resident of the county, U.S. Army veteran, and owner of Herald Printing for 44 years. [11]
In a 2001 interview on the importance of local weekly papers, then-editor Doug Sanders emphasized the value of "keeping an eye on local officials." [12]
The Tuscaloosa News , which reported on the Herald's founding and later financing, has continued to cite the Herald for local news reports as recently as 2018. [13]
In 2018, an editorial in the Daily Mountain Eagle identified the Herald, along with itself, the Journal Record, and the Time-Record, as the key news organizations in the area Bevill State Community College serves. [14]