Last week, I learned some sad news.

The Mount Olive Tribune in Mount Olive, North Carolina is closing at the end of this month.

This closing hit very close to home for several reasons. The Mount Olive Tribune was the first newspaper where I was a reporter.

The year was 2001, and I was a very green reporter from South Carolina. I had never been that far away from home. I loved my reporting job and was proud of the fact that I was the first African American reporter for the newspaper.

I have always said everything I learned about community journalism during those early years came from a comic book-loving editor and a grizzled, grumpy reporter in the cubicle next to me. They taught me what community journalism was and helped to instill a solid work ethic. The Mount Olive Tribune helped me to strengthen my skills as a reporter and gave me the confidence to grow in my career.

The other reason it hit home was that Mount Olive, with a population of almost 5,000, will not have a local newspaper. The county still has a daily newspaper, but it is not the same.

The 118-year-old Mount Olive Tribune reminds me of the Herald-Advocate. I know some people say there is nothing in this newspaper, but as the content manager/creator, I think there is a lot here.

Each week, the ultimate goal is to provide this county with information. This could be about deaths, births, marriages, accidents, arrests, education, and sports.

You cannot get these things from The State or the Morning News. This is not a dig at those newspapers. It is just a fact.

And if we are being honest, a lot goes into putting out this newspaper. I am the reporter, editor, content manager, sports editor, webmaster, and social media person. And this is just the editorial side of the newspaper. There are three other people (Customer Service Representative Janet Coates, General Manager Heath Milligan, and Graphic Designer Bennie Miles) here who also make sure you get this newspaper every Thursday.

We can’t do this alone. We need your help to keep this newspaper going so that we can inform others of what is happening throughout the county.

Being a reporter has been the only thing I have ever done. I am honored to be able to tell the stories of others.

In the last eight months, I have done more as a news editor/reporter than in my 21 years in journalism.

For instance, I become the sports editor. I know nothing about sports, but we need it in the newspaper. In my spare time, I have read other newspapers and talked with sports editor colleagues to figure out the best way to provide coverage as a novice.

I am not a Marlboro County native, but I love this county and want to ensure the coverage is present. And, for this coverage to be there, I need the support of everyone.

This isn’t just a job for me, it is calling. I don’t leave the office and not think about the newspaper. I shouldn’t, but I can’t turn it off.

It is my duty to connect a reader with new information that they may learn from or use in life, whether it be about a new business opening or what is happening with the budget.

We are working hard to maintain the viability of the local newspaper through print, e-Edition, website, Facebook and now the e-Newsletter. This is why it is so important to support your local newspaper. To subscribe to our free e-Newsletter, visit our website at www.heraldadvocate.com and click on the “Sign up for Notices” tab.

Also, if you didn’t know, the Herald-Advocate was purchased by Champion Media on Sept. 30, 2021, and is no longer located at 100 Fayetteville Avenue in Bennettsville. Our new home with the red door is located at 97 Market Street behind the Marlboro County Courthouse.

Please come by and visit us!