Communities across the nation, many a lot like Bryan County, are losing something.

I’m not talking about racial harmony, that’s something that can’t be achieved overnight, or over decades, it seems. For every step we think we make towards that goal, there are many, on both sides of the table, who believe it’s in their best interest to keep the unrest going.

I personally believe we can achieve some semblance of harmony, but as the world has proven time and time again, there will always be the dissenters who can’t be pleased and their life’s goal is to continue unrest.

However, I believe we as a community cannot lose the very platform from which I write, though we certainly have our dissenters, and there are many, who say newspapers aren’t important and should go the way of the dinosaurs.

Wrong.

Your community newspaper is your very last wall of defense. Your community newspaper is the one place where news is not slanted towards one party or another, not slanted to one political office or business venture. Your community newspaper is the place where you will read or consume important facts about subjects and topics that directly impact your day to day life.

The Bryan County News, like many businesses, pushed its way through the recent pandemic trying to survive in an economic downward spiral. We survived, but many community papers will not be that lucky. We have support here in our community for the Bryan County News, but now, as publisher, as the leader of our news and entertainment products, I’m asking for more.

We need our community to step up and give us support through subscriptions, digital and print, advertising to promote and grow your business and even more important, read and consume our community news to educate yourself on local topics and events.

We need your support to improve our product. Our intention is to bring our community newspaper to the level of prominence it deserves and provide the level of service and information this community deserves.

Over 70 Georgia communities lost their local paper in the last two years alone. Those communities and their residents can’t pick up the phone or send an email to the editor or publisher asking, “What about this?”

Those communities have no check and balance system in place to know if their county or city officials are doing their jobs.

Heaven forbid we have events like the last few months where violence has shaken our community and nation’s core. Without your community newspaper do you think things would have progressed as they have? Or, do you believe it would be easier to cover things up?

Newspapers, community newspapers, are the last line of defense for impartial and fair coverage on important issues and events which affect you every day.

We need your support!

Dee McLelland is the Publisher of the Coastal Courier and the Bryan County News. He can be reached at demclelland@bryancountynews.com or 912-756-2668.