Providing Reliable Local News Coverage for Caswell County

“My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge;”

Those words of Scripture have come to mind often since 2008 when I left my role as managing editor of The Caswell Messenger. I sometimes feel a twinge of guilt over the demise of informed public discourse. Where might we be if we’d had all the information and openly explored the potential consequences of our decisions as a community?

I then remember the next part of Hosea 4:6, “because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me:"

And I stand convicted. I know I am not doing the work I’ve been called to do.

Caswell County is my home. This is my community and these are my people. I have a gift but by not using that gift, I allow us all to be destroyed for lack of knowledge.

Technology makes it easier for community members to access information but the truth is we have very little local news coverage to access. No one is reporting on local government or schools. No one is taking photos at the football games or featuring some of the county’s most interesting characters. Many families can no longer afford to announce a loved one’s death and honor their life with an obituary. Aside from a few special publications in the area, local businesses have largely been priced out of the advertising market. Business owners and community-based organizations work overtime to reach customers, community members, and volunteers via social media and other methods.

I have been encouraged by the rise of citizen reporting and am excited to see so many others recognize the importance of transparent governance and informed, involved community members.

And yet still, “my people are destroyed for lack of knowledge” because true community journalism is about a lot more than press releases and scanner traffic. It’s not about expressions of outrage or partisan talking points – or at least it shouldn’t be.

Community journalism is about bearing witness, sharing information, and helping residents become neighbors.

Community newspapers once marked the lives, events, and decisions that shaped the places we called home. They reported on local government but considered 100th birthdays and school field days to be just as newsworthy. They connected us through event calendars, news coverage, announcements, and storytelling. They kept us grounded to home by tuning out some of the noise, remaining hyper-focused on our own little corner of the world.

I know that there are good people working hard all over Caswell County to create and sustain opportunities for our community to thrive, but a recent conversation reminded me that not everyone has the same access to information.

Several local students recently met with community partners to review survey data related to youth mental health. They told us the findings weren’t a surprise, but they were shocked to discover so many available resources. They noted how encouraged and cared for they felt to discover a whole network of community partners working to improve the lives of Caswell’s youth.

“We didn’t think anyone was really paying attention,” one of them said. “To be honest, we didn’t think anyone really cared.”

“My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.”

I immediately thought of a man I ran into last summer. He looked familiar but I couldn’t quite place him until I caught his eye.

A huge smile lit up his face, “it’s the newspaper lady!!!”

As this nearly 40-year-old man rushed towards me, his arms outstretched for a hug, he suddenly looked like an 18-year-old kid, in a helmet and full pads and I remembered him - a standout player on the high school football team, kind and charismatic.

“Man, this lady was always at our games taking pictures,” he told someone as he introduced us. “She really cared.”

I’ve loved the work I’ve done in healthcare, policy, compliance, and community-building over the past 17 years. But as I think about the needs of my community and how I want to spend the rest of my career, I find myself asking, “what work is mine to do?”

And in my heart, I will always be Caswell’s newspaper lady.

“My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.”

Printing and postage make print newspapers expensive to launch but an online news outlet is now feasible thanks to expanded internet access in the county.

So, I am stepping out on faith and leaving my full-time paid position to devote myself to providing Caswell County with a reliable, traditional community news source, online.

I am generally risk-averse so I'm a bit nervous about giving up my full-time job, but my people will not be destroyed for lack of knowledge. This is the work that is mine to do and I trust my community to help me do it well.

Caswell News & Notes launches online at www.caswell.news in January, 2026.

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