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The Democrat-Reporter

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This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Muckrkr (talk | contribs) at 10:57, 19 February 2019 (Deleted incorrect statement that paper was a Pulitzer nominated finalist in 1998. It was neither a winner nor a nominated finalist that year. (Unlike some other contests, anyone can enter the Pulitzer.)). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

The Democrat-Reporter
TypeWeekly newspaper
PublisherGoodloe Sutton
Founded1911
CityLinden, Alabama, U.S.
OCLC number11800888

The Democrat-Reporter is a local weekly newspaper in Linden, Alabama, United States. It was established in 1911 from the merger of the Linden Reporter and the Marengo Democrat. It is owned and published by Goodloe Sutton, who inherited the newspaper from his father in 1985.

History

The Linden Reporter was created in 1879, while the Marengo Democrat was founded in 1899. The two newspapers merged to form the Democrat-Reporter in 1911.[1]

Robert E. Sutton bought the newspaper in 1917 and was its managing editor and publisher until 1965. He sold The Democrat-Reporter to his son Goodloe in 1982.[2][3][4] The newspaper won national acclaim in the 1990s for its investigation of county sheriff Roger Davis for political corruption, despite his widespread popularity and death threats to editor Goodloe Sutton and his family.[5] Davis and two deputies from the office were sentenced for misuse of public funds and other crimes, including intimidation tactics used against the Suttons.[4][6] Goodloe Sutton ran unsuccessfully for the state house later that year, losing to incumbent Andrew Hayden despite an ethics controversy.[7][8]

The Democrat-Reporter had a rivalry with the Demopolis Times, which was published in neighboring Demopolis.[9] Goodloe Sutton also worked alongside his wife, Jean, until her death in 2003.[10] The Democrat-Reporter absorbed the Thomasville News (of Thomasville) in 2006, after a decade under the ownership of the Sutton family.[11] The newspaper's circulation dropped from 7,000 to 3,000 by the mid-2010s, and printing was outsourced to a plant in Monroeville. The offices for The Democrat-Reporter were moved in 2015 to a new building further away from the county courthouse.[3][12]

KKK Sympathizing and Calls for Violence

On February 14, 2019, Democrat-Reporter publisher Goodloe Sutton penned an editorial titled "Klan needs to ride again", calling for the return of the Klu Klux Klan to "clean out Washington D.C." with lynchings.[13] The editorial led to calls on Sutton to resign by Senator Doug Jones, while other local politicians stated that they were not surprised by the comments.[14] The editorial was first discovered and shared by the student-run Auburn Plainsman.[15] Sutton was previously criticized for running racist headlines in the past, but they did not garner similar amounts of attention.[3]

References

  1. ^ "The Democrat-Reporter is now installed in its new office". The Democrat-Reproter. February 9, 1911. p. 4. Retrieved February 18, 2019 – via Newspapers.com. Free access icon
  2. ^ "Newspaper pioneers to join Auburn HOF". The Birmingham News. October 15, 1995. p. A29.
  3. ^ a b c Benn, Alvin (August 3, 2015). "Voices: Small-town publisher tries to hold on". USA Today. Retrieved February 18, 2019.
  4. ^ a b Bragg, Rick (June 1, 1998). "Small Alabama Newspaper Prevails In Crusade to Expose Corrupt Sheriff". The New York Times. p. A10. Retrieved February 18, 2019.
  5. ^ Halvatgis, Jenna (May 3, 1998). "Tackling corruption: Alabama newspaperman exposes crooked sheriff and lawmen". Rocky Mountain News. Associated Press. p. A42.
  6. ^ Shepard, Alicia C. (July 1998). "Taking Down The Sheriff". American Journalism Review. Retrieved February 18, 2019.
  7. ^ Cason, Mike (August 12, 1998). "Publisher to make run for state house". Montgomery Advertiser. p. C3. Retrieved February 18, 2019 – via Newspapers.com. Free access icon
  8. ^ "Democrats hold on in Legislature". The Huntsville Times. November 4, 1998. p. B3.
  9. ^ Hoffman, Roy (May 3, 1998). "Pulitzer nomination feeds papers' old duel". The Birmingham News. p. A19.
  10. ^ Orndorff, Mary (September 17, 2003). "Jean Sutton, Linden journalist, dies". The Birmingham News. p. C5.
  11. ^ "Thomasville News ceases publication". Alabama Press Association. April 1, 2006. Archived from the original on October 9, 2006. Retrieved February 18, 2019. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  12. ^ "The Democrat-Reporter will move office to Main". The Democrat-Reporter. March 25, 2015. p. 1. Retrieved February 18, 2019 – via Small Town Papers.
  13. ^ Brown, Melissa (February 18, 2019). "Alabama newspaper editor calls for Klan return to 'clean out D.C.'". Montgomery Advertiser. Retrieved February 18, 2019.
  14. ^ Cason, Mike (February 18, 2019). "Lawmakers not surprised at editorial calling for Klan's return". AL.com. Retrieved February 18, 2019.
  15. ^ Smith, Jordan (February 18, 2019). "Alabama newspaper editor calls for KKK to lynch Democrats in DC". WWSB 7. Retrieved February 18, 2019.
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