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Your connection to industry & member news  | Oct. 30, 2025
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Q&A on getting a SLED background check One of SCPA's top member services for reporters is providing free SLED criminal background checks for news stories.If you're not utilizing this service, here's a quick Q&A for your review:Â
Q: How do I obtain a SLED Check? A: SCPA members should call SCPA at (803) 750-9561 during business hours with the full name and date of birth. Weâll email you the results within minutes. After hours and on weekends, reporters must go to the SLED website and pay the $25 fee. Q: Do I have to call SCPA? Can I just email Jen?
A: Calling is best if you are on deadline. Everyone on SCPA's staff can process background checks. If you are not on deadline, you're welcome to email Jen your information.Â
Q: Can I run a background check on a potential new hire? A: No. Checks are for news stories only.
Q: Will a SLED Check show criminal records from out of state? A: No. The SLED database only returns criminal record information from South Carolina.
Here's more info about obtaining background checks from Georgia and North Carolina.
Q: Can you run a SLED Check without the full date of birth, or can you search the system for multiple DOBs? A: We cannot run a SLED check without the date of birth. The date of birth is verification that the record belongs to the correct person. Running multiple dates could provide info where you could misidentify someone. We donât want to open you and the paper up to legal issues.
Q: The SLED Check came back with an error or special processing message. What does that mean? A: Occasionally, the SLED database will give an error or special processing message when it returns multiple results for a name and date of birth. Or the name and DOB on the subject's criminal record could differ from the one provided in the search criteria, such as in the use of aliases, which may result in a false negative or false positive result. If you have questions concerning the results of your inquiry, please call the SLED Public Dissemination Unit at (803) 896-1443.
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Don't forget about SCPA's guide to S.C. public notice laws SCPA has a great public notice/legal advertising resource available to newspaper staff members and the public  â our Guide to S.C. Public Notices. This free digital resource is an easy-to-understand compendium of South Carolina public notice/legal advertising laws. Each entry contains the exact wording from the Code of Laws, as well as a plain language explanation on when and where an ad has to run. The guide is organized by topic, but is also searchable by keyword. Please note this is not a legal reference. If in doubt, please check the South Carolina Code of Laws.
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Please share your postal statement with SCPA SCPA members, if you filed an annual U.S. Postal Statement of Ownership, Management and Circulation with your postmaster earlier this month and shared it in your newspaper, there's a good chance we have your new form on file.
If you think there's a chance we missed it, please email SCPA a copy of the form or an e-tearsheet showing publication of your form.
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 | Former owner and publisher of The Daniel Island News, Sue Detar, third from left, and the newspaper staff enjoy a sunset cruise around the Charleston harbor to celebrate Detarâs retirement and the handoff to its new owners, DI Media Group.
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| A new chapter begins for The Daniel Island News
Mid-October, 70 degrees, golden hour on the Daniel Island Ferry sunset cruise.
It will be difficult to top last Wednesday night's gathering of Daniel Island Newspaper staff, family, and friends. And it will be difficult to top the newspaper's 22-year leadership under former owner Sue Detar.Â
Sue knows Daniel Island and its residents, and I (along with my brother, Kyle, and partner, Vince Johnson) am excited to get to know you all as well.Â
As I walked around the island with my wife Susan Thursday morning, we said hello to joggers and walkers along the waterfront, scanned for alligators among the palm-lined banks, and admired the rhythm of this unique island community.âŻItâs amazing to think about the change Sue has seen over the more than 20 years here.Â
We are excited to continue your local news under local news management. The excellent staff Sue has built is staying on to keep putting out the paper you have come to expect. We will build on existing connections and relationships she has built during her career here and bring some exciting new products and additions to expand coverage even more.
By Jack Osteen, co-owner of The Daniel Island News | Read more
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|  | SCPA had such a fun time hosting SERNAM in Charleston earlier this week. This is the regional meeting of Southern Press Association managers and we loved hosting a dozen states for this three-day conference where we shared ideas on to how to best serve our members.
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USC ordered to hand over document related to athlete revenue sharing lawsuit
A South Carolina judge has ruled that the stateâs flagship university must turn over some documents relating to its revenue sharing agreements.
The order comes after Frank Heindel, a former grain merchant and open records advocate, sued the University of South Carolina after they blocked his freedom of information request seeking records of the schoolâs revenue sharing agreement with its football team.
The revenue sharing agreement stems from a court settlement earlier this year, which saw many major universities commit to dividing up a pool of $20.5 million among its athletes from 2025 to 2026.
The new order in the USC case dated Oct. 23 and signed by circuit court judge Daniel Coble does not require the university to release revenue sharing agreements, but it does require the school to release a confidential affidavit they submitted to the court. Lawyers for the school submitted the affidavit to argue that they had met their obligation under South Carolinaâs freedom of information law when they said that they had no documents in response to Heindelâs request.
The affidavit contained no confidential or privileged information, Coble wrote. However, Coble did not require the university to turn over another document, described only as an attachment. Instead, Coble ordered the university to provide a âgeneral descriptionâ of the document to Heindel.
By Ted Clifford, The State | Read more
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Editorial: SC Election Commission mess increases need for livestreams, due diligence
We have no idea whether former S.C. Election Director Howie Knapp engaged in embezzlement or other misconduct, oversaw a hostile work environment or misled the Election Commissionâs governing board.
But now that the commission has appropriately brought the discussion about his firing into the public, weâve learned two important things that the members of this and other governing boards need to do.
Commission Chairman Dennis Shedd says that after he objected to a higher price, Mr. Knapp told the board that new voting equipment it purchased a year ago would cost $28 million. But once taxes and interest were included, the total came to $32 million.
Columbiaâs State newspaper reviewed minutes of the meetings where that contract was discussed and concluded that âBecause July 2024 and August 2024 meetingsâ minutes are not a transcript, it is unclear what Knapp told the commissioners about the machines' cost.â Weâre not aware of any state agencies that use transcripts for their minutes, but there is a really simple way to produce the equivalent of that: Livestream the meetings.
From The Post and Courier | Read more
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 | By Jonathan Vickery, The People-Sentinel
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| Publisher's Point: Questions loom, answers needed over county administratorâs resignation
As our team reported last week, a routine performance evaluation for the county administrator turned into a resignation that shocked and surprised county leaders.
Barnwell County Administrator Meredith Wright submitted her resignation after county council performed her annual evaluation on October 14. County leaders described Wrightâs evaluation as âoverall positive.â
While public records related to the evaluation and resignation were not released by the time the original article was published, they have since been released. These documents provide some insight, but they also leave just as many questions. These questions deserve answers.
Wrightâs evaluation, which looked at 15 categories, was overwhelmingly positive, according to a summary report of councilâs answers. She received âexceeds expectationsâ or âoutstandingâ on 14 of those categories. She only received a lower rating of âmeets expectationsâ on one category.Â
According to county council members interviewed by this newspaper, council discussed the areas they saw needing improvement. But one councilman described Wrightâs reaction as âemotionally charged.â
Following her evaluation, Wright verbally told the countyâs elected officials that she would be resigning. She submitted her resignation letter in writing the next day. Read moreÂ
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More than $40K in comped Manor reservation fees linked to mayor
BLYTHEWOOD â Since it opened in 2015, the Manorâs bottom line has suffered from mismanagement in one form or another. Â Â
For years Richland School District 2 was allowed to use the Manor at no charge and did so frequently. The Blythewood Chamber has a history of receiving free and reduce rates for their events, breakfasts and galas. Town and county governments were also provided free use of the Manor for meetings.
Council has made strides in making the Manor pay its way, but youth sports organizations, civic clubs and some businesses that made reservation deals years ago with the Manor, still receive reduced fees, mostly for limited, little-used time slots.
There are, however, still some comps for large fees. Of the approximately 500 manor reservations that were made from early January, 2024 through the end of September, 2025, one Blythewood business reserved the Manor five times. According to a fee schedule adopted by council two years ago, those five reservations should have brought in approximately $11,000 in revenue for the Town. Instead, the business paid nothing according to documents The Voice obtained through an FOI (Freedom of Information) request. There are no notations in the documents as to why this businessâ reservations were comped or who authorized the comps.
The Manorâs total net loss jumped to $175,375.56 in fiscal year 2024 â 25.
By Barbara Ball, The Voice of Blythewood and Fairfield County | Read more
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Introducing a new AI guide for local news editorial teams
AI seems to be everywhere right now, in ways that can feel both exciting and overwhelming. This has left editorial leaders at local news organizations with a simple question: Which of these tools can actually help us do our jobs better?
Today, the American Journalism Projectâs Product & AI Studio is launching a new living resource: Field Guide: AI for Local Reporting. This quarterly-updated guide will help local news outlets navigate AI tools for local reporting, detailing what each tool does, how itâs used, whoâs using it, and what makes it unique.
This guide is built from real-world experience. Over the past two years, AJPâs Product and AI studio has been providing grants and working alongside news organizations and vendor partners to pilot compelling experiments and workflows with AI.
We approached this work as a journalism exercise: Record what is happening, locate pre-existing information, filter the information, offer background and disclose any problems we discover.
From The American Journalism Project | Read more
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Nextdoor doubles down on local news â hereâs why publishers should care
Fourteen years ago, Nextdoor debuted on the digital networking scene. It carved out a niche as a website and app that facilitated connections between neighbors. Itâs a digital space where they can share information, ask questions and seek recommendations relative to their geographic neighborhood.
This summer, Nextdoor unveiled a new design, returned to its original branding and logo, embraced local news â notably, at a time when other networking platforms devalue it â and incorporated Artificial Intelligence (AI) into the platform. Â
Kelsey Grady is Nextdoorâs chief global communications officer. She spoke with E&P about âthe new Nextdoor.â
âWe describe Nextdoor simply as the essential neighborhood network. [It] is an online platform, as well as an app, where you can open it up and find out what's going on in your local community. Itâs everything from incredibly useful things, like âI need a recommendation for a babysitter or a plumber.â Itâs where you go to sell used furniture. And then there are the really critical things, like finding out there's a fire happening,â Grady said.
By Gretchen A. Peck, Editor & Publisher Magazine | Read more
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By Dean Ridings, America's Newspapers
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| State of Local News shows why newspapers remain backbone of news ecosystem
Medillâs State of Local News 2025 report once again captures the changing shape of Americaâs local news landscape â and the expanding concern over news deserts. The report, which is often viewed as the annual report card on local news, is a comprehensive tracking of 8,000 local outlets across the country and documenting how more than 200 counties now have no local news source at all, while another 1,500 rely on just one, often a weekly newspaper. For millions of Americans, especially across rural regions and small towns, access to reliable local information continues to erode.
To many, the report signals more trouble for the newspaper industry. In reality, it shows why local newspapers are more essential â and irreplaceable â than ever. While there are challenges facing local newspapers, they remain the backbone of the local news ecosystem and the one institution that consistently reaches communities left behind by other forms of media. According to the Americaâs Newspapers Trust in Media Study, 87 percent of Americans trust their local newspaper, and more than 80 percent consider it essential to their community. Read more
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By Caley Smith,
Special to The Berkeley Independent
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| Caught between tradition and chaos
As a millennialâthose born between 1981 and 1996âIâve learned to embrace change, adapt to new realities and keep moving forward. But letâs be honest: life today is tougher than it was for those who came before us. Expectations, costs and pressures seem higher, and every day feels like a balancing act we never signed up for.
Itâs no secret that life today feels, well, exhausting. For many millennials and members of Gen Z, the daily grind isnât just a phrase â itâs a lived reality. Bills are higher than ever, work-life balance is more myth than practice, and the pressure to âkeep upâ has gone digital. In this environment, itâs not surprising that even our relationship with the news â the very information meant to keep us informed â is changing.
According to a recent survey by the American Press Institute, nearly 80% of Americans ages 16 to 40 report getting news daily, and a third are even willing to pay for it. Yet this devotion comes with a cost: digital fatigue, distrust and constant exposure to misinformation. Life is moving faster, and it seems like every day brings new ways to feel behind. Millennials and Gen Z are trying to navigate this shifting world, but the rules of âtraditionalismâ that previous generations leaned on feel less relevant â or even unattainable.Take news consumption. Younger Americans still value fairness, neutrality and accuracy â hallmarks of traditional journalism. They want diverse perspectives and a deeper understanding of communities unlike their own. Yet less than a third find news enjoyable, down from more than half just seven years ago. Read more
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