Letter from the Publisher

We at The Panolian are very grateful for Ricky Swindle’s opinion column in Tuesday’s newspaper challenging people to get engaged with us.

He wrote about the need for community support and asked people to get involved by providing news tips, and writing letters to the editor. He pointed out that a social media post is not the same as having your Momma post an article or photo from The Panolian on the fridge.

Printed news has staying power. Years from now, that faded photo of the big buck or award ceremony that was published in The Panolian will be cherished.

Ricky went on to voice a fear that this newspaper could one day could “go away and never come back” if people did not get involved. A point well taken. However, I believe we at The Panolian have a very bright future in Batesville and Panola County. I want to address that future with you here.

Jeremy, the editor, reports that he heard many great comments in support of the newspaper after Ricky’s article was published.

Having only been here a short time, I can tell that people care about this newspaperThey drop by our office, call, and email. They ask about something that has been in the paper or with something that they want to be published in the paper. Plus, the steady stream of football contest entries shows a level engagement that is rare.

Times are changing, but these are exciting times. We have more readers than ever because of our online and our e-edition. We measure how many people go online each day — and can see which stories people read the most. This month, we noticed that people really like our “Blast from the Past” photos.

Our goal is to continue the work the Howells began and be good stewards of The Panolian and all that it means to the community. We will produce the very best newspaper this community is willing to support.

We do depend on people subscribing to the newspaper or buying a copy on the news rack. People can also go online and subscribe to our e-edition. Community support also means we ask local advertisers to spend their marketing funds with us because their advertising reaches their potential customers and gets results!

For advertisers, The Panolian as part of Boone Newspapers has invested in a whole host of new digital products from targeted digital campaigns and ways to make sure your business is found on Google. Call Hannah English to tell you more.

In the near future, we are planning new features in print, and new online features on The Panolian.com.  The future is bright for local news in Panola County.