Beginning October 12, Macon County will be home to Western North Carolina’s newest newspaper. The free publication, titled Macon Sense, initially will be available every other Thursday at locations around the region and online.
“When the Macon County News closed after 40 years, it created a void in the community. People wanted access to a free newspaper that provided important information focused on our area,” said Deena C. Bouknight, the Macon Sense managing editor. “In addition, we believe people are hungry for a publication that delivers an objective accounting of the facts, and offers a focus on families and faith that is representative of virtually every county in Western North Carolina.”
The goal of the new community newspaper is to support free speech, tradition, history, and family values, with a commitment to objective, factual content.
And unlike many newspapers often owned by out-of-state, for-profit businesses, Macon Sense joins the growing national family of nonprofit news publications supported and managed by local supporters and dedicated to local, community journalism.
Nationally, non-profit news organizations are helping to reverse the trend that sees traditional newspapers closing down. In January, The Week, a national magazine, reported that the U.S. is losing newspapers “at the rate of more than two a week, at a steep cost to our communities – and our democracy.”
According to the publication, “The U.S. has lost more than 2,500 newspapers since 2005 – or 25 percent of the total – and is on track to lose a third by 2025, according to a 2022 report by Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism. The result is a growing number of Americans, now approaching 70 million, who live in a ‘news desert’ — a community with no local news source.”
Although other avenues of information exist in Macon County, Macon Sense readers can expect each edition to be filled with news and feature articles that provide a closer look at local issues, people, places, and history. Individuals can share information and offer opinions; regional recipes and culinary stories. Also, the paper will include an events calendar; nonprofit information; insights into the faith community; helpful family-oriented commentary; and, much more.
Many of the former Macon County News staff will bring their expertise to the newspaper.
As managing editor, Bouknight brings almost four decades of experience as a writer and journalist. She’s been published in regional, national, and international publications, and authored three fiction books. Long-time local editor, Teresa Tabor, manages content and placement. Jay Baird, known throughout the region, handles advertising, and Shana Bilbrey assists with graphic design.
Dan Finnerty, a Navy veteran with decades of managerial experience, will manage the paper’s day-to-day operations. Also, because Finnerty covered local sports and government for MCN, he will be a contributing writer.
Macon Sense is a 501(c)3 nonprofit news organization published by Kavod Family. The newspaper will publish every other Thursday. Print editions will be available at more than 40 locations throughout Macon County. The paper’s content also will be found online at www.maconsense.org and on Facebook and Instagram.