By: Hank Tatum
Dr. Amanda Bright in the Georgia On Your Mind studio at Grady College at the University of Georgia
The Oglethorpe Echo, now in its 151st year, is alive and well, serving the small, rural county of Oglethorpe in northeast Georgia. At a second glance, however, this isn’t a typical newspaper. It has little full-time staff, and is instead continued by students pursuing a Journalism degree at the University of Georgia.
Dink NeSmith, the Echo’s chairman, and Dr. Amanda Bright, Clinical Associate at UGA who teaches the Echo capstone class, joined Georgia On Your Mind for Season 3: Built By Bulldogs to discuss this unique partnership that has kept local journalism alive in the county thanks to UGA students.
In 2021, the Oglethorpe Echo was ready to close its doors. In turn, it would have created a “rural news desert.” In stepped UGA alumnus Dink NeSmith, who quickly turned it into a nonprofit and called the Dean of Grady College, Charles Davis. With NeSmith’s idea to give the Oglethorpe Echo to Grady College, an idea became reality. Soon, a news-academic partnership had been created.
Now, as the Echo continues to serve the county, it’s run by only a few full-time staff members. Andy Johnston, the editor of the paper, works alongside Dr. Bright to oversee the students’ work. Each semester, a new class enters the newsroom in the basement of Grady College, ready to take on one final challenge before graduating: staffing a newspaper.
The class is split up into specific beats that the reporters cover. They quickly get integrated into the life and people in Oglethorpe County, ready to produce stories. The students complete several responsibilities, from reporting and writing stories to copy editing, digital producing, engagement editing, and more.
This well-oiled machine has kept news alive in Oglethorpe County. NeSmith and Bright sat down to share the story of the Oglethorpe Echo with Georgia On Your Mind. In addition, both explained the importance of preventing the “news desert” and how it affects the people of the county. While unique, Dr. Bright explained that these news-academic partnerships can be found elsewhere in the country and how they continue to grow.
🎙 Listen to Episode 2: The Oglethorpe Echo: Preserving Local Journalism, available wherever you get your podcasts.
Explore The Oglethorpe Echo and the UGA students’ work.