Jonathan Vickery, 34

Publisher/owner, The People Sentinel/sundial Media Group S.C., LLC, Barnwell, SC Education: Bachelor of Arts degree in Mass Media Communication, Anderson University

What advice do you have for other young professionals in the news industry?

I’ve learned a lot over the past 12-plus years in the newspaper industry, all of which have been at my hometown newspaper. This has helped me become a better person and journalist. I’ve also developed a more profound love, understanding and appreciation for my small, rural hometown.

Here is my Top 5 list of advice for young professionals in the news industry:

1. Focus on local: As a colleague told me recently, “Hyperlocal news is a blessing to the community.” I couldn’t agree more. As our community’s only true source for news, we publish

content you can’t find anywhere else. From hard news stories covering local government, education, and crime to features on people’s accomplishments or birth announcements, we publish news that matters.

2. Be willing to adapt: Just as our industry is always evolving, those of us in the newspaper industry must also adapt. We are never too old to learn something new or try something new, such as embracing new technology. 3. Know your community:

Regardless of how long you’ve lived

in the community you serve, it’s essential to know your community. Do this by getting involved in local organizations, networking with people from various backgrounds, supporting local businesses and monitoring community groups on social media. The relationships I’ve built have led to some of my best news tips, including when I see people at the grocery store or church.

4. Be factual and honest: It’s always good to remember the three core values of journalism — fair, accurate and unbiased. Without them, we lose our credibility, which is everything. I once read a quote, “Journalism should be memorable not because it’s sensational, but because it’s real.” Also, it’s important to own up to any mistakes and immediately fix them, including issuing a correction. It’s scary to admit when we are wrong, but people value and respect honesty and transparency.

5. Have fun: Journalism isn’t a 9-to5 job, because the news never sleeps. There are long days filled with stress, deadlines, angry readers/advertisers and plenty of people who have opinions about how you should do your job. That’s why it’s essential to maintain a good balance to include personal time so you don’t get burned out.

Where do you see the future of print media heading?

Some say print is dead, but I don’t believe that — especially in small, rural communities like mine. Many readers still prefer a physical newspaper they can hold. They love clipping out photos and stories highlighting themselves or loved ones. It’s that “refrigerator journalism” that we all value.

Since I purchased the newspaper in July 2021 from Gannett Media, my number one goal has been to grow the newspaper. My amazing team and I have done that by adding more local news content, plus features like puzzles, a Kid Scoop page for children, coupon inserts and more. This has translated into more than 200 new print subscribers over the past year and a half. Though many of our readers are older, we also have a number of younger readers, including those who subscribe to print. They see the value in local news.

After issues at the printer caused our paper to be a day late two weeks in a row, we received messages of support from the community who said they look forward to reading the paper, regardless of the day it comes out.

That reassured me that we are doing something right and are relevant.

We will continue investing in our current print product. This includes expanding coverage into a neighboring county that has been a news desert for 10 years — thanks to a Report for America grant that will help fund a new reporter on our team. While we publish a regular page in our paper highlighting the neighboring county, we are looking to start a new print newspaper to better serve that community.

As much as I love print, I also realize that digital is important. That’s why we’ve invested in a new website, which is slowly growing and adding digital subscribers. I see a future for print and digital to work hand in hand.