What is the Athens County Independent?
We’re an independent, nonprofit, locally governed and operated news source for Athens County, established in 2022. You can read our story here.
Will you ever have a printed newspaper?
Printed news is expensive. Traditional newspapers require paper, ink, and dedicated staff for layout, printing and distribution — all of which are beyond our budget. We’d rather invest in people who can gather and report news and information.
That said, we are exploring options for a print product that won’t break the bank. We know many folks prefer print (both as readers and advertisers) and that the state of internet and cell service in these parts makes it hard for some to rely solely on a digital format.
When are you going to cover sports?
Soon, we hope! We know this is a priority for a lot of readers, so we’re talking about ways to cover sports. Stay tuned.
When are you going to cover my community?
We are the Athens County Independent, so we want to carry news and information from all over the county. We don’t have enough staff for routine coverage of every local government body, but we’re working on ways to do just that. Stay tuned.
How do you decide what to cover?
We consider several factors in deciding whether to report on something.
- Proximity. Does it involve or affect Athens County residents, events and issues? If not, is it of interest to people in Athens County?
- Timeliness. Is it something that is going to happen, continues to happen, or happened recently?
- Impact. Does the person, issue or activity have significant interest, consequences or implications for local people?
- Prominence. Does it involve an elected official, community leader or other high-profile individual?
Provability. Do we have, or are we likely to get, independent verification of assertions made by sources?
Why do you allow anonymous sources?
Reporters name their sources because readers need to know where information comes from. Knowing who told us what lets you decide if the information is valid and credible.
Sometimes, though, naming a source can jeopardize that person’s job or their emotional or physical safety. When someone asks to remain anonymous, we weigh the value of the information against potential harm to the source. We also consider the person’s reliability and knowledge of the topic.
When we use anonymous sources, we always try to confirm the information with others to ensure that it’s true. And we will always tell you why a source has been granted anonymity.
How do you make money?
Nonprofit newsrooms rely on direct community support through donations and memberships, as well as earned revenue from advertising, events and merchandise sales. The money we make goes back into the enterprise to enhance and expand our mission. Support correlates directly to quality: The more you give, the more we can do.
What’s the difference between a subscriber and a member?
We don’t have paywalls or otherwise make you pay for news. In addition to publishing stories on our website, we send weekly newsletters that bring the latest information directly to your inbox. When you sign up to receive our newsletters, you become a subscriber.
Instead of charging for news, we rely on our community for financial support. When you make a monthly or annual gift to the Independent, you become a member — a vital, valued part of our team.
What’s with the possum?
That’s Scoop, our mascot! When we started planning ACI, we decided to adopt an icon that represents who we are and what we stand for. Appalachia has lots of amazing native animals — like the red fox, the box turtle and the hellbender — but we chose Didelphis virginiana because it seemed like the best fit.
- One of a kind. Opossums are the only marsupial native to the United States. Like us, they are homegrown and unique! (And c’mon, they’re adorable.)
- Nonaggressive. Opossums aren’t aggressive: They’d rather avoid a confrontation by playing dead or hissing than to attack. We’re not out to get anyone, either — we’re just doing our jobs, bringing you information you need.
- Resistant to poison. Opossums’ unique metabolism and chemistry make them highly resistant to rabies and snake venom. Similarly, we don’t allow advertisers, donors or anyone else to poison our work with undue influence.
- Keeping it real. Opossums don’t really eat ticks — that’s a kind of a myth. We work hard to make sure everything we publish is 100% true and accurate.
- Keeping it clean. Opossums are scavengers, vital to maintaining a clean environment. We keep public institutions honest — and highlight what’s good in our communities.
Highly adaptive. Opossums are highly adaptable to changes in habitat. Although the news business has changed, we’re proof that local news is alive and well!