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He Bought His Hometown Newspaper at 25
At six years old, Evan Newton was picking up The Monticello News for the football contest and the arrest page. In 2023, he returned as an intern. At 25, he bought the newspaper.
That is a pretty good hometown headline. The next question is what happens after the headline: Who covers the meetings, asks the uncomfortable questions, sells the ads, checks the pages and makes sure a newspaper actually reaches its readers?
In Episode 109, Trey sits down with Evan to talk about all of it. After a successful Candidate Conversations series, Town Square Podcast is back to its regularly scheduled conversations with local leaders, influencers, nonprofits and people making a difference. Our community continues to grow beyond Newton County into Rockdale, Henry, Walton and Jasper counties. Evan’s story is a fitting place to pick that conversation back up.
The internship that changed the plan
Evan grew up in Jasper County as the creative kid, drawn to music, cameras and making videos. His interest in film carried him to Georgia College & State University, where he earned a mass communication degree. A career running a weekly newspaper was not the original plan.
With graduation approaching, his dad suggested checking whether The Monticello News needed help with its website. Evan graduated on a Saturday and started at the paper the following Monday. A three-month internship became six months, and the work grew on him.
He moved to The Covington News as news editor and later became managing editor. That experience meant reporting, photographing, making decisions and juggling the many jobs that come with a small newsroom. It also helped prepare him for an opportunity back home.
Saying yes to the hometown paper
Evan says Kathy Mudd first approached him about taking over The Monticello News in June 2024. He was interested, but not sure he was ready. The managing editor opportunity in Covington gave him time to grow.
When the conversation returned in 2026, the circumstances felt different. He had bought a home in Monticello, his family was there, and he had a clearer idea of the newspaper he wanted to produce. Buying the paper became a decision he could make with more experience behind him.
He is careful about how he describes leaving Covington. The newspaper’s sale was part of the timing, but he speaks positively about the people involved and says he was already leaning toward Monticello. This was a chance to build something in his hometown.
The work readers never see
Owning the paper means writing stories, designing pages, selling advertising and running a business, often with very little room in the schedule. Evan describes working nearly every day during the early stretch of ownership. There is also a newsroom cat named Typo, because apparently the newspaper business comes with its own sense of humor.
Then there is the physical work of getting a paper out. In the process Evan describes, finished pages travel electronically to a printer in South Carolina. Printed copies come back by truck, then move through local distribution and the mail.
That is why the future of print involves more than whether people enjoy holding a newspaper. It also depends on access to presses and the cost of production. Evan hopes print remains part of the business while investing in the digital product readers will increasingly expect.
Reporting the facts and writing an opinion
Trey and Evan spend time on a distinction that can get lost when everything arrives in the same social feed: a reported story and an editorial do different jobs. Evan says news coverage should stay fair and factual, while opinion belongs on a clearly identified editorial page.
They discuss that distinction through Jasper County’s annexation debate and questions about potential development. Evan describes why he wrote an editorial about elected officials listening to residents. He also makes clear that speculation about a possible data center does not establish what will ultimately be built.
The broader question is one communities across our area recognize: How do residents get reliable information about decisions that affect the place they live? Evan’s answer starts with showing up, documenting what happens and asking questions, even when the people answering are neighbors or advertisers.
“It’s remembering who you do it for and that’s the readers,” Evan says.
A front page should reflect the whole community
Choosing what leads the paper involves public interest, newsworthiness and strong photography. Evan acknowledges that negative stories often draw attention, but says he tries to make room for good news on the front page, too. He mentions featuring the Humane Society as one example.
He is also candid about mistakes. In one edition, two similar planning and zoning stories led to the same story appearing twice under different headlines. Readers caught it, and the paper addressed it the following week. For Evan, striving for accuracy includes recognizing that a small newsroom will sometimes have to correct its work.
New readers and the next chapter
The story of a 25-year-old buying his hometown newspaper has brought attention from far beyond Jasper County. Evan says the response has been encouraging, especially when the daily work can feel thankless. National coverage also translated into subscriptions, he says.
Closer to home, he is experimenting with short weekly video recaps and social media as another way to bring people into the reporting. His background in video turns out to have a place in the newspaper business after all.
He can imagine expanding coverage where there is a need, though he offers no firm timetable. For now, the priority is local reporting that readers find useful and can trust. When Trey asks him for a headline explaining why people should subscribe, Evan lands here:
“Local journalism is the foundation of the community.”
That is a good place to end, and a good reason to keep the conversation going. Watch Episode 109, get to know Evan and consider supporting the people doing the work of covering your community.
Watch Episode 109: https://youtu.be/hRxXi8yWdgE
Explore The Monticello News and its subscription options: https://www.themonticellonews.com/
Links Mentioned
Episode 109 on YouTube: https://youtu.be/hRxXi8yWdgE
The Monticello News and subscriptions: https://www.themonticellonews.com/
The Covington News: https://www.covnews.com/
The Monticello News ownership announcement: https://www.themonticellonews.com/2026/07/15/monticello-native-evan-newton-purchases-the-monticello-news/
WSB-TV coverage: Click here
MSNOW, Jacob Soboroff coverage: Click here
Sponsors and Advertisers
Headbangers Taphouse brings beer, food and a place to gather to Covington. Stop by with friends and thank them for supporting local conversations.
https://headbangerstaphouse.com
SteelCo Buildings supplies custom pre-engineered metal buildings for projects such as workshops, agricultural buildings and commercial spaces. Explore their building options and connect with their team about your next project.
https://www.steelcobuildings.com
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