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Your connection to industry & member news | Feb. 12, 2026
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Friday headlines Annual Meeting training with blueprint for rebuilding trust in news Make plans to attend March 5-6 in Columbia Trust in news is at a crossroads—but the comeback starts here. Join us at the SCPA Annual Meeting on March 6, to hear Rufus Friday, executive director for the Center for Integrity in News Reporting (CFINR), deliver an energizing blueprint for how journalists and news organizations can reclaim credibility and win audiences back through fearless objectivity and visible core journalistic values.
Friday's presentation will take place from 10:45-11:45 a.m., directly before the Awards Luncheon so plan now to get to Columbia in time to hear what he has to say.
Friday, the former publisher of the Lexington Herald-Leader in Lexington, Kentucky, from 2011 to 2018, joined the CFINR as the Executive Director in December 2024.He brings decades of experience in publishing and leadership to this vital role. He also previously served as President and Publisher of the Tri-City Herald in Kennewick, Washington, from 2005 to 2011. Friday began his career in circulation at the Raleigh (NC) News & Observer, in 1984, rising to become Vice President of Circulation there from 2003 to 2005. His media career also includes executive leadership roles at newspapers in Montgomery, Alabama; Rockford, Illinois; and Jackson, Tennessee.
The Center for Integrity in News Reporting was created to address the public’s declining trust in news reporting. CFINR aims to improve public trust by encouraging and rewarding impartial, objective and fair journalism. By recognizing exemplary reporting, CFINR hopes to restore the standards that once earned widespread trust.
In addition to Friday's session, join attorneys Taylor Smith, Jay Bender, Eric Robinson and Carl Muller at the meeting for our annual legal and open government update. Our panel of media law experts will offer a no-holds-barred discussion on the legal, First Amendment and open government issues you're facing.
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Independent and family-owned news leaders invited to roundtable at Annual MeetingSCPA is hosting a breakfast roundtable for independent and family-owned newspaper leaders as part of the upcoming Annual Meeting.
Join us Friday, March 6, from 8:30-10:15 a.m., at the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center, as leaders and owners of S.C. family-owned newspapers and online news publications come together to connect, share and learn from each other, as well as discuss the unique challenges that family-run news organizations face.
Topics are up to the group but may include business challenges and solutions, delivery issues, staffing, audience engagement, growing ad revenue and creating new revenue streams, succession planning and more.
Registrations will be accepted through Feb. 20.
The cost to attend is $50. Breakfast will be provided.
Thanks to the SCPA Foundation Smoak Fund for sponsoring this event!
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Deadline to place Annual Meeting program ads coming soonJoin us in celebrating the best in S.C. journalism and congratulate your staffers who have made extraordinary contributions to our industry over the past year!
SCPA is offering limited space in the Annual Meeting program for congratulatory ads. Our program is distributed to roughly 200 Annual Meeting attendees and is posted online for viewing after the meeting.
Full page color ads are $60 and half page color ads are $40.
Camera-ready ads will be accepted through Feb. 20.
Email us to reserve your space today.
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SC bill to keep athlete NIL pay secret passes committee but resistance potentially remainsThe S.C. Senate’s education committee went along with House colleagues in voting to exempt college athlete’s revenue-sharing payments from disclosure, but some lingering skepticism may have to be overcome before an amendment to the state’s name, image, and likeness (NIL) law crosses the finish line.
On Feb. 11, multiple members of the committee, namely Sen. Everett Stubbs (R-York) and Sen. Harvey Peeler (R-Cherokee), questioned why funds paid out by a university’s athletic department shouldn’t be subject to the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).
The Senate majority leader, Sen. Shane Massey (R-Edgefield), who previously expressed uncertainty about the education’s committee’s stance on the bill, pointedly asked whether FOIA will apply if universities pay athletes more than just revenue-sharing dollars.
Meanwhile, Gov. Henry McMaster recently voiced opposition to revenue-sharing deals being secret, though he did share legislators’ concerns about South Carolina institutions being at a competitive disadvantage if other states shield the same information.
“I know these are students rather than rather than employees,” Stubbs said, “and I understand the competitive advantage or disadvantage that we might put ourselves in.”
But as far as revenue-sharing contracts being a public record, Stubbs added, “I grew up with ‘If it walks like a duck, talks like a duck — usually it's a duck.’”
By Jon Blau, The Post and Courier | Read more
Related: Read Jay Bender and Taylor Smith's written testimony on H. 4902.
Related: Gov. McMaster shared his concerns with Maayan Schechter of S.C. Public Radio.
In other Statehouse news:- H. 4511, the Notices to Creditors bill, received third reading in the House on Wednesday and was introduced in the Senate and referred to the Judiciary Committee. The current bill's language includes notices in print newspapers, newspaper websites (if available) and SCPublicNotices.com. Here's a word of thanks to legislators from the Index-Journal.
- S. 454, the charter school accountability bill, received third reading in the Senate on Tuesday and was introduced in the House of Representatives on Wednesday. The bill was referred to the Education and Public Works Committee. Chairwoman Shannon Erickson, R-Beaufort, said the legislation is a priority.
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 | S.C. members of AMIkids visited the Statehouse on Jan. 29. (Photo by Sam Holland, S.C. House of Representatives)
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| S.C. House of Representatives share ‘Take of The Day’ with SCPA members Photographers with the S.C. House of Representatives, including Sam Holland and Mary Ann Chastain, invite S.C. newspapers to view and share photos from “The Take of The Day 2026 in the S.C. House of Representatives.”
SCPA members are welcome to publish photos in print and online as long as you give proper credit.
While the media gallery does not have cutlines, you can use the Statehouse website and Chamber video archives to ID photos correctly.
This is a great resource to get great quality, high resolution photos of your local representatives and members of your community visiting the Statehouse.
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"I fear sometimes that few people really care about journalism, but we are dead without it. Someday something bad will happen, something terrible on a national scale, and the thing we’ll need most, literally to survive, is information. Reliable information—a way to get it, and then to get it to the public. That is what journalism is, getting the information. ... Government by its nature always wants to accumulate power and use it. A watchful press slows this process, sometimes stops it, by exposing its abuses."
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SC's Leader Newspapers steps forward to serve Dorchester County with Dorchester County Leader
With the closure of The Dorchester Eagle-Record in January, a significant void was left in local news coverage in Dorchester County. The county joined a troubling national statistic, becoming one of 1,526 counties in the United States with only one remaining news outlet, according to the Northwestern Medill Local News Initiative.
Leader Newspapers engaged in a brief period of negotiations with the former owner of the Eagle-Record in an effort to revive the publication, but the parties were unable to reach an agreement.
As a result, plans were quickly set in motion to establish a new newspaper to serve the western portion of Dorchester County. The new publication will begin weekly distribution on Thursday, February 12, with an initial mailed circulation of 6,000.
The launch marks the sixth newspaper in the South Carolina group of Leader Newspapers. Other publications in the group include The Aiken Leader, serving Aiken, Edgefield, Saluda, and Lexington counties; The Kershaw News-Era, serving Lancaster and Kershaw counties; and The Calhoun Times Leader, Bamberg County Leader, and The Orangeburg Leader, each serving their respective counties.
Publisher Andrew O’Byrne Sr. said he is pleased to bring a new, community-oriented newspaper to another growing area of South Carolina. Dorchester County continues to share in the statewide economic and population growth currently underway, underscoring the need for strong, locally focused news.
From the Dorchester Leader | Read more
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 | Representatives from The Post and Courier and founding sponsors celebrate the launch of the Arts and Culture Lab on Feb. 3 at the Gibbes Museum of Art. From left: Jeff Taylor, executive editor; Arnold Randall, executive director of the Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation; PJ Browning, CEO and publisher; and Wayne and Alicia Gregory of the Wayne and Alicia Gregory Family Foundation. (Photo by Campbell Holben/The Post and Courier)
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| The Post and Courier launches Arts and Culture Lab
The Post and Courier launched its Arts and Culture Lab, a newsroom initiative aimed at expanding coverage of the arts, culture, and creative life in Charleston, the Lowcountry, and communities across South Carolina.
Supported through founding investments of $270,000 from the Wayne and Alicia Gregory Family Foundation and $100,000 from the Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation, the Arts and Culture Lab ensures sustained statewide arts coverage at a time when many cultural organizations face declining visibility.
"The vitality of our cultural ecosystem and our local newsrooms go hand in hand," said Alicia Gregory, president of the Wayne and Alicia Gregory Family Foundation. "By directly supporting arts journalism as a founding sponsor of The Post and Courier's Arts & Culture Lab, we are making a commitment to further uplift and strengthen our region's incredible artists and cultural organizations."
From The Post and Courier | Read more
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How to build a newsroom plan for responding to First Amendment threats
Last month, Poynter published a guide to help journalists respond immediately to legal threats and protect their ability to report independently.
This next guide in our series is designed to help leaders prepare in advance for their newsrooms to do journalism when First Amendment rights are at stake—which, incidentally, is a lot like building coverage plans before a breaking news story escalates quickly. What you do now determines how well you’ll respond when it really matters.
The current climate in the U.S. is a heads-up to all journalism leaders to assemble the information and resources you’ll need if equipment is seized, your reporters are arrested, or they’re in the field covering violence or unrest.
From Poynter | Read more
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Feb. 16 deadline is approaching for national CFINR awards
Feb. 16 is deadline to enter Center for Integrity in News Reporting Awards, with $150,000 in cash prizes.
The Center for Integrity in News Reporting Awards will award six $25,000 cash prizes, including categories for print reporting, digital reporting and investigative reporting.
Now in its third year, the CFINR Awards recognize journalism that exemplifies the long-standing principle articulated by Adolph Ochs: “to give the news impartially, without fear or favor.” The awards are focused exclusively on news reporting (not opinion, commentary, or advocacy).
News reports published in the calendar year 2025 are eligible for submission.
There are no entry fees and journalists or editors may submit work directly here.
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'Terribly frustrating': After USPS changes, more newspapers aren’t reaching subscribers on time
Many publishers first noticed the complaints spike last summer.
The subscriber whose weekly newspaper arrived five days late. The subscriber who received no issues for three weeks in a row, then three issues on the same day a month later. The subscriber not receiving newspapers at all.
These are examples of the frustrations local publishers in Maine, Michigan, South Dakota, and Virginia told me they’re hearing from subscribers and peer publishers. They, like many community publishers, rely on the United States Postal Service for timely delivery. The issues they’re seeing are representative of delays stymieing publishers across the country — subscribers have reported delays as long as two months, Columbia Journalism Review reported in October.
Especially for weekly publishers in smaller, rural markets, USPS delivery has long been the cheaper, lower-lift alternative to the carriers many metro dailies still pay to perform the classic morning ritual of tossing newspapers onto porches and lawns. Some newspapers have been delivered by mail for decades, some for centuries, and some have only switched from carrier to USPS in the last few years, looking to cut costs at the margins, reduce print days, and sidestep the challenges (and management headaches) of the changing carrier labor market.
USPS delivery may save most rural publishers money compared to carriers, but it isn’t cheap. The Postal Service — a system as old as the country — is losing billions of dollars per year, and as part of its efforts to break even, it has significantly hiked its rates. President Trump has insulted the system and mused about privatization, though the current postmaster has committed to preserving the agency’s independence. (Postal service challenges are not unique to the U.S.: The Danish postal service stopped delivering letters last year in the face of “increasing digitalization,” and newspapers are carrier-delivered.)
By Sophie Culpepper, Nieman Lab | Read more
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Longtime newspaper publisher, pastor Bishop Redfern dies
Bishop James Redfern II, a Columbia pastor and longtime newspaper publisher, passed away Jan. 16, at the age of 76.
A pioneer in Black-owned media, Bishop Redfern was the founder, president and publisher of Juju Publishing Company, which produced a national literacy magazine and community newspapers in seven S.C. metropolitan markets.
Bishop Redfern founded the newspaper Black On News which later became the Black News of Columbia, as well as the Sumter Black Post, Greenville Black Star, Orangeburg Black Voice, Rock Hill Black Views, Florence Black Star and Charleston Black Times.
The South Carolina Black Media Group was the largest Black-owned and operated newspaper organization in the state.
He also served as publisher of the Carolina Tribune Weekly Newspaper, the South Carolinian News Magazine, and later Catalyst Magazine, preserving Black history, amplifying community voices and promoting civic engagement.
Bishop Redfern was an active member of the National Newspaper Publishers Association.
He built churches, schools, universities, nonprofits, leadership systems, prayer networks and platforms for Black history and excellence. His work in historic preservation ensured that the stories of historically segregated Black schools, churches, educators and civil rights pioneers would not be lost to time.
S.C. legislators honored Bishop Redfern’s legacy last week with a resolution at the Statehouse.
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Former journalist Tim Hicks dies
Timothy Kendrick Hicks “Tim”, 60, of Rock Hill, SC, went to be with the Lord, Sunday February 1, 2026.
He was born October 6, 1965, in Rock Hill, SC, the fifth son of the late Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Samuel Hicks (Ada Purcell). Timothy enjoyed an award-winning journalism career with the Rock Hill Herald and The People Sentinel of Barnwell. As well as spending time on staff with South Park Church in Charlotte, NC and as an instrument technician at Piedmont Medical Center – Fort Mill. He was also a beloved member of Neely’s Creek ARP Church.
With an easy, friendly nature, he made friends wherever he went. He enjoyed working in the yard, learning about and discussing WWII military history and science fiction, collecting foreign currency, hats of all kinds, and sharing his pickled okra with his family, friends, and coworkers.
Even in the face of physical adversity, he persevered with a kind and gentle spirit, living every day enjoying life and working toward his goals and dreams.
Read full obituary.
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By Jim Pumarlo, Newspaper Consultant
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| Business coverage vital to your product and community
Editors are regularly solicited to publish news that puts merchants in good standing. In small communities, grip-and-grin photos of check presentations often dominate the requests. The topic generated a healthy conversation in an editors’ hotline during the holiday season of charitable giving.
To no surprise, approaches covered the landscape. Editors know their communities best and incorporate policies accordingly.
The thread extended into other business coverage. One comment made me especially cringe and should give all editors and publishers food for thought. The remark: “I’m also this passionate about doing stories about businesses – nope. If you want me to write a story about your new business to bring customers through the door, it’s advertising, not news.”
The opinion was not universal.
I welcomed one publisher’s response that a new business, especially in small communities, is news: “Writing a story about a new business will create business. It shows a new business owner how many people are reading your paper!” Read more
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