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42-622: The Democrat-Reporter is a local weekly newspaper in Linden, Alabama , United States. It was established in 1911 from the merger of the Linden Reporter and the Marengo Democrat . The newspaper was published by the Sutton family for over a century, with Goodloe Sutton running it from 1985 to 2019. The newspaper won national acclaim in the 1990s for its investigation of a corrupt county sheriff, but

84-407: A CD-ROM or Zip disk , or sent to the printing press (either located at the newspaper office or an off-site publication plant) by e-mail or FTP site. Often, the staff of a weekly newspaper is smaller, with employees having several duties. For instance, a news editor may also sell advertising, while reporters could also be photographers. The size of the news staff varies, depending on the size of

126-639: A Pulitzer Prize nomination in 1998, though the newspaper was not a finalist. The Suttons were interviewed by The New York Times , the American Journalism Review , Reader's Digest , and the Oprah Winfrey Show . Goodloe Sutton was also honored by Representative Earl F. Hilliard in a remark to Congress on May 6, 1998, for his bravery. Goodloe Sutton ran unsuccessfully for the state house in 1998, losing to incumbent Andrew Hayden despite an ethics controversy. The Democrat-Reporter had

168-448: A municipality or other government body must designate a newspaper of record . The official newspaper is decided based on geographical area, and often more than one newspapers are given this designation. Official newspapers receive the government's public notices, and since they are considered advertising, it can be a source of revenue for newspapers. Weekly newspapers often have one or more advertising sales representatives whose job it

210-600: A longstanding rivalry with the Demopolis Times , which is published in neighboring Demopolis . The Democrat-Reporter absorbed the Thomasville News (of Thomasville ) in 2006, after a decade under the ownership of the Sutton family. The newspaper's circulation dropped from 7,000 to 3,000 by the mid-2010s, and printing was outsourced to a plant in Monroeville . The offices for The Democrat-Reporter were moved in 2015 to

252-588: A month later. The newspaper was sold to Tommy Wells in July 2019, as Sutton announced his retirement. The Linden Reporter was created in 1879 and the Marengo Democrat was founded in 1899. The two newspapers merged to form The Democrat-Reporter in 1911. Robert E. Sutton bought the newspaper in 1917 and was its managing editor and publisher until 1965. He sold The Democrat-Reporter to his son Goodloe in 1982. Goodloe Sutton also worked alongside his wife, Jean, until her death in 2003. The newspaper won national acclaim in

294-490: A new building farther away from the county courthouse. The newspaper is published weekly on Thursdays and generally contains eight pages, including local news, legal notices , and an editorial page . On February 14, 2019, The Democrat-Reporter publisher Goodloe Sutton wrote an editorial titled "Klan needs to ride again", calling for the return of the Ku Klux Klan to "clean out Washington D.C. " with lynchings . "We'll get

336-571: A per-story rate. Many weekly newspapers started as family-owned businesses, covering one or two communities and handling all editorial and business functions. The Tribune Newspaper in Humble, Texas is one example. Typically all business functions, along with the editor-in-chief would be family members, while non family members would assume reporting positions. Another example is the Campbell County Observer published in N.E. Wyoming. The owner

378-476: A program such as Adobe Photoshop . After the copy and advertisements have been placed on the page, the editor will print out a proof and make any changes, if necessary. Sometimes, they will consult with reporters on such things as double-checking facts, proofreading headlines and other copy, or writing cut-lines for photographs. Once everyone is satisfied, a final proof is printed out and prepared for publication. The pages can be placed on dummy sheets, burned to

420-623: A publisher overseeing several newspapers, with a specific editor for each newspaper. Generally speaking, the staff of corporate-owned chain weeklies do not have deep connections into the communities and do not prioritize accountability for local governments. The switch from locally owned weekly newspapers to corporate chains, which is often driven by the loss of advertising revenue , is associated with increases in taxes, reduced involvement by citizens in local government , fewer citizens voting in elections, more wasteful spending, and even higher levels of corruption . At Christmas Day, depending on

462-718: A robed woman wearing a laurel wreath crown. Although alma (nourishing) was a common epithet for Ceres , Cybele , Venus , and other mother goddesses, it was not frequently used in conjunction with mater in classical Latin. In the Oxford Latin Dictionary , the full phrase's origin is attributed to De rerum natura , in which Lucretius uses the term as an epithet for an unnamed earth goddess: Denique caelesti sumus omnes semine oriundi omnibus ille idem pater est, unde alma liquentis umoris guttas mater cum terra recepit (2.991–993) We are all sprung from that celestial seed, all of us have same father, from whom earth,

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504-484: A sports publicist from Texas who had previously shown interest in acquiring the Democrat-Reporter . Wells and his wife published their first edition on July 5, 2019, with the announcement of Sutton's retirement. Sutton died four years later at the age of 84 on Sept. 22, 2023. Weekly newspaper Most weekly newspapers follow a similar format as daily newspapers (i.e., news, sports, obituaries , etc.). However,

546-451: A sports reporter takes great ownership in a specific team and writes stories containing detailed accounts of games. Several photographs of the games may accompany the story. Other stories preview games, usually between traditional rivals, to build interest. Family news pages include announcements of births, engagements, weddings, landmark birthdays and anniversaries, and obituaries . In the past, correspondents often submitted stories along

588-620: A title for Mary, mother of Jesus . By the early 17th century, the nursing mother became an allegory for universities. Used by many schools in Europe and North America, it has special association with the University of Bologna , whose motto Alma Mater Studiorum ("nurturing mother of studies") emphasizes its role in originating the modern university . Several university campuses in North America have artistic representations of alma mater , depicted as

630-466: A weekly newspaper receives most of its revenue from display advertising and classified advertising . Most weekly newspapers are laid out one or more days before the publication date. Sometimes, the layout of pages is staggered, to allow for multiple deadlines. Like larger newspapers, most weekly newspapers these days are paginated (or laid out) using computer software, using programs such as Adobe PageMaker , Adobe InDesign or Quark Xpress . Layout

672-455: Is an allegorical Latin phrase meaning 'nourishing mother'. It personifies a school that a person has attended or graduated from. The term is related to alumnus , literally meaning 'nursling', which describes a school graduate. In its earliest usage, alma mater was an honorific title for various mother goddesses , especially Ceres or Cybele . Later, in Catholicism , it became

714-463: Is mentioned in a remembrance of Henry More by Richard Ward. Many historic European universities have adopted Alma Mater as part of the Latin translation of their official name. The Latin name of the University of Bologna , Alma Mater Studiorum (nourishing mother of studies), refers to its status as the oldest continuously operating university in the world . At other European universities, such as

756-400: Is the appearance of the page and includes photographs (along with cutlines, or captions identifying the photograph's content and people), copy (the text and its typefont), headlines and white space. At many newspapers, photographers, reporters and editors use digital cameras to take photographs and download selected photographs using a card reader. The photographs are cropped and edited using

798-522: Is the publisher who also performs advertising sales, writing, distribution, books, and other duties that may be required. His wife, Candice, is an advertising saleswoman, his nine-year-old and four-year-old children are the insert stuffers, and they all are door-to-door subscription salespeople. As newspapers became more expensive to operate and family members declined to join the business, many weekly newspapers were purchased by larger chains of weeklies. Some family-owned newspapers are operated as chains, with

840-422: Is to sell display advertisements. Most advertisements are from local businesses (although some larger companies from outside the coverage area may advertise). Other advertisements are called classifieds , which are placed by people who want to buy or sell something (such as a car or real estate), employers who have job openings, or property owners who have rental property available. Along with paid subscriptions,

882-819: The Alma Mater Lipsiensis in Leipzig, Germany, or Alma Mater Jagiellonica , Poland, the title emphasizes historic ties to a founding city or dynasty. The Alma Mater Europaea in Salzburg , Austria, an international university founded by the European Academy of Sciences and Arts in 2010, uses the term as its official name. In the United States , the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia , has been called

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924-612: The Aviso started in January 1609 in Wolfenbüttel . Many weekly newspapers in North America follow a similar format: News coverage usually focuses on local events such as car accidents or house fires, plus local government meetings, such as city councils or school boards, and police blotters. A weekly newspaper often covers sports teams from one or more area schools (mostly high schools ), communities, or professional teams if any exist. Often,

966-430: The university press . The first-known appearance of the device is on the title-page of a book by William Perkins , A Golden Chain , where the Latin phrase Alma Mater Cantabrigia ("nourishing mother Cambridge") is inscribed on a pedestal bearing a lactating woman wearing a mural crown . In reference works of English etymology, often the first university-related usage is cited as 1710, when an academic mother figure

1008-644: The "Alma Mater of the Nation" because of its ties to the founding of the country. At Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario , and the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, British Columbia, the main student government is known as the Alma Mater Society. Modern sculptures of Alma Mater are found on several North American university campuses. In 1901, a bronze statue of Alma Mater by Daniel Chester French

1050-453: The 1990s for its investigation of county sheriff Roger Davis for political corruption, despite his widespread popularity and death threats to editor Goodloe Sutton and his family. Davis and two deputies from the office were sentenced for misuse of public funds and other crimes, including intimidation tactics used against the Suttons. The four-year investigative series was considered a favorite for

1092-552: The School of Communication's Mass Communication Hall of Fame over the editorial, and he was also stripped of a distinguished community journalism award he had been presented in 2009 by Auburn University 's Journalism Advisory Council. Sutton responded to the criticism by saying that he was not sorry that he wrote the editorial, and that he would do it again if he had the chance. On February 22, Sutton announced that he would resign from his positions as publisher and editor, giving control of

1134-648: The community). Others may be recent college graduates early in their career, and are trying to gain experience and/or clips. Many newspapers have at least one news clerk or editorial assistant who is responsible for typing family news and obituaries , as well as news releases announcing upcoming events. A circulation manager keeps track of subscribers (this can range from only a couple hundred to tens of thousands of subscribers), and may also be in charge of classified advertising . As well as full-time staff reporters and photographers, many weekly newspapers also employ correspondents (sometimes called stringers), often paid on

1176-437: The day of the week that Christmas Day is on, weekly newspapers would change the day in many countries. For example, Sunday newspapers are moved to Christmas Eve or Saturday when Christmas Day is on Sunday, and other weekly newspapers are expected to change their day at Christmas to save outlets and businesses from opening on Christmas Day by law. Alma mater Alma mater (Latin: alma mater ; pl. : almae matres )

1218-425: The editor , written by readers on a specific topic. The public-record section usually includes summaries of police-incident reports, fire-department calls and court dispositions (or, the outcome of a criminal proceeding). Many newspapers also publish a list of building permits that have been issued in its circulation area. Public notices typically fall into one of two categories: Laws in many US states dictate that

1260-403: The family business operating weekly newspapers in multiple towns. The chain newspapers can be either regional or national chains. Sometimes all advertising functions are combined, with a weekly newspaper containing both ads for local businesses and for businesses in the chains area. This larger circulation can assist in bringing in national advertising to weeklies. Weeklies in chains may also have

1302-522: The hemp ropes out, loop them over a tall limb and hang all of them", Sutton said. He also specified that he was only referring to hanging "socialist-communists", and compared the Klan to the NAACP . The editorial led to calls on Sutton to resign by senators Doug Jones and Richard Shelby , while other local politicians stated that they were not surprised by the comments. The editorial was first discovered and shared by

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1344-545: The lines of "Mr. and Mrs. John Jones had company from out-of-town last week", although these types of stories – commonly called "Neighborhood News" or some similar name – are largely a thing of the past. Larger weeklies, especially those that are part of chains, also offer lifestyle features, reviews of local theater and arts, restaurant reviews and a food section that may concentrate on local recipes. Like daily newspapers, weekly newspapers often have an editorial page. Editorial pages also include letters to

1386-643: The newspaper and its circulation area. Some papers have a staff of several reporters , with each reporter having a specific beat (much like a daily newspaper, with beats including schools, local government, business, police, etc.). Many smaller newspapers, however, may have as few as one reporter to cover the entire circulation area, meaning they are responsible for the entire content of the newspaper (e.g., government, business, schools, crime, features, etc.). The experience of weekly newspaper reporters varies. Some may have years of experience (either they are satisfied where they are employed, and/or may be well-established in

1428-402: The newspaper to Elecia R. Dexter. Dexter, an African-American woman with a degree in speech communications from Eastern Illinois University , had been employed at The Democrat-Reporter as a front-desk employee for six weeks at the time of the editorial, but had no journalism experience. Sutton retained ownership of the newspaper. Dexter resigned the editorship on March 11, two weeks after taking

1470-461: The nourishing mother, receives drops of liquid moisture After the fall of Rome , the term was used in Christian liturgy to describe Jesus' mother, Mary . " Alma Redemptoris Mater " is a well-known eleventh century antiphon devoted to Mary. The earliest documented use of the term to refer to a university is in 1600, when the University of Cambridge printer, John Legate, began using an emblem for

1512-571: The position, due to editorial changes made by Sutton without her permission. In an interview with The New York Times , Dexter said that Sutton had emailed a version of the February 28 issue of the newspaper that replaced an article about his retirement with a defense of the KKK editorial and attacks against the Montgomery Advertiser for publishing an interview with him. She stated that her resignation

1554-1188: The primary focus is on news within a coverage area. The publication dates of weekly newspapers in North America vary, but often they come out in the middle of the week (Wednesday or Thursday). However, in the United Kingdom where they come out on Sundays, the weeklies which are called Sunday newspapers , are often national in scope and have substantial circulations (20 to 50% higher on average than their daily sister publications). Other types of news publications come out weekly on newsprint but are not considered general newspapers. These cover specific topics, such as sports (e.g., The Sporting News ) or business (e.g., Barron's ), and have larger circulations and cover much larger geographic-coverage areas. Alternatively, other news publications come out weekly on magazine-style print but are still considered general newspapers (e.g. The Economist ). The first weekly newspapers were Relation and weekly newspaper Aviso , which were published at beginning of 17th century. The Relation started around 1605 in Straßburg by Johann Carolus and

1596-490: The student-run Auburn Plainsman . Sutton had previously been criticized for running offensive headlines and editorials, including comments about the Obama family and Hillary Clinton , but they did not get as much attention. Subscriptions to the newspaper declined as Linden residents responded negatively to the editorial and its widespread attention. Sutton's alma mater , the University of Southern Mississippi , removed him from

1638-665: Was installed of steps of Columbia University 's Low Library . A similar sculpture, cast in 1919 by Mario Korbel , sits on the main entrance steps at the University of Havana . Later American tributes to alma mater include Lorado Taft's 1929 sculpture at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and Cyrus Dallin's 1925 sculpture at the Mary Institute in 1925, commissioned by Washington University supporters. An altarpiece mural in Yale University's Sterling Memorial Library , painted in 1932 by Eugene Savage , depicts

1680-487: Was made after further changes to the March 14 issue, but was delayed over concerns for Sutton's cognitive well-being. The Associated Press reported in late March that Sutton had sold the newspaper to an unnamed buyer, who were later identified as out-of-state residents C.T. Harless and Sabrina McMahan in a front-page editorial on March 28. Online news outlet Alabama Political Reporter published an investigation into Harless, who

1722-403: Was met with criticism in early 2019 over an editorial from Sutton calling for the return of the Ku Klux Klan . Sutton resigned as publisher and editor on February 22, 2019, and appointed Elecia R. Dexter to the two roles while he retained ownership. Dexter resigned less than a month later, citing ongoing interference from Sutton, and a deal to sell the paper to an out-of-state couple fell through

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1764-518: Was using a pseudonym, and linked him to a group aligned with the Ku Klux Klan from Tennessee. Linden mayor Charles Moore expressed skepticism over whether the newspaper had actually been sold, while Sutton stated that he would continue operating the newspaper because the new owners lacked experience. In July, the Associated Press reported that Sutton had retired and sold the newspaper to Tommy Wells,

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