We have all seen the social media posts across the span of our local corridors. The heartfelt check-ins, the enthusiastic shout-outs, the chorus of voices declaring, “Support local! Support your own! Live there, play there, shop there!”
And that is all well and good. It truly is. Keeping your dollars circulating locally matters. But when the conversation turns to digital media news outlets, the reality of survival shifts. A newsroom isn’t sustained by the almighty “attaboy” or a virtual pat on the back. True local journalism survives on something far more tangible: local businesses investing their marketing dollars, month in and month out, to be represented in the community’s publications.
Let’s be honest about how the modern media landscape operates. Some outlets pull in funds through a labyrinth of pass-through non-profits, shuffling money from one foundation to another until it lands in the corporate news group’s coffers—a sophisticated game of small-town handshakes.
Then there are the independent outlets. The ones simply trying to make a difference, and yes, trying to make a living. Let’s not pretend otherwise. You don’t clock in, sacrifice your personal time, and chase breaking stories purely out of the goodness of your heart. You work—and don’t even try to lie about it—you work for what? To make a profit so you can pay yourself.
Beyond the Free Plug
So, when I hear locals giving the team at Columbus County News an enthusiastic “attaboy”—and yes, it is always nice to hear that people read the publication, loved a commentary, or appreciate a free plug for an upcoming church event—it misses the mark on what an independent newsroom actually requires to keep the lights on.
What a local media outlet really needs is for every single local business to step up and buy advertising space in the digital media that relies entirely on monthly revenue to do what? That’s right: make a living.
Inquire about the smallest ad package offered. Buy it. And just as importantly, pay your invoice on time, every single month. Why? Because that modest stream of revenue pays for the actual news you read. One hand washes the other. You cannot consume free, hyper-local reporting without investing in the infrastructure that produces it.
Where It All Began
Hi, I’m Denice Martin Jones. Back in the middle of the great COVID-19 spread of 2020, my husband, Jeff Allen Jones jumped on an opening. We heard that the most talked about, most popular journalist in Columbus County was looking to transition from his reporting post.
You know the reporter I’m talking about—Jefferson. You don’t even need his last name; everyone across the county knows Jefferson. You either love him or you love to hate him – not to his face of course that just isn’t how it done. But as they say, that comes with the territory when you’re doing real, frontline reporting.
Now, we have heard people say that Jefferson built Columbus County News, but that is a bit misleading in its wording. Jefferson provided a massive part of CCN, and that was the news content. But everything else—the web design, the ad slicks, media sales, the continuous technical upkeep, and the daily engine keeping the business running behind the scenes, dealing with people that didn’t like us Yankees – Somewhere along the line, things got a little sticky, down right unhospitable, I will go as far as hostile. Even on several occasions Jefferson peeled away the veil to show his displeasure and to be honest that was a side that I never wish I witnessed but I digress ya’ll, that would lead into a totally different story line, and to be trueful doesn’t need anymore air.
Now lets try and get back on track – shall we?
Jefferson had nothing to do with the digital architecture. The man is an absolute wealth of information when it comes to local history, crime, and everyday local happenings, the who is and who isn’t, but in that time and place, he couldn’t master the internet and the technical knowledge.
Someone got a wild hair and started pushing the narrative—even way before Jefferson was presented with the opportunity to purchase the business in mid-2025—that it was his business, and that he had employees. Nothing could be further from the truth. He didn’t own it then, and he certainly wasn’t running payroll or paying the bills. He did become the face of Columbus County News then-just as he is now- the owner, publisher, and editor.
The Uphill Climb and the Real Payoff
Let’s face facts: media sales in a mostly rural county, like Columbus is an uphill climb. Recently, it was made public that a local radio station has planned to expand its reach outside the county lines to grow its footprint. Even knowledgeable independent sales people realize they have to look beyond local borders because they know how stubborn businesses can be. Many local shops still hesitate to invest in paid advertising.
Instead, they flock to social media. They have Facebook design a quick ad, share it on their own business page and across a few local groups, and pat themselves on the back thinking, “There, I’m advertising for free.” Except those folks don’t understand how the Facebook algorithm actually buries them unless you’re paying to play.
Rallying Around the Man Behind the News
Yet, despite the hurdles, despite the algorithmic walls, and despite the old rumors, look where we are. Jefferson stepped up, he took the reins, and is running Columbus County News as its true owner, publisher, and editor.
He is doing the legwork, chasing the stories, and keeping the pulse of his county beating on a daily basis. He doesn’t just deserve our “attaboys”—he deserves a community that backs him where it counts.
So the next time you see a breaking story, a local crime report, or your church’s event announcement shared for free in Jefferson’s digital newspaper, remember the man behind the keyboard. Drop the illusion of free social media reach, pick up the phone, buy an ad, and support the local journalism that keeps Columbus County informed. Because when local media wins, the whole county wins.
And that is my opinion — Denice Martin Jones
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