The Community Journal, a digital-first news source in Walker County, launches today online at Community-Journal.com.
The Community Journal is the brainchild of Jeffery Winborne and co-owned by he and James Phillips. Unlike traditional print news, the Journal’s primary model will focus on digital content, including web, social media, video and audio.
“I have always believed in the modern digital format that James and I had envisioned,” Winborne said. “With The Community Journal, we are giving ourselves the chance to realize that vision while continuing to serve the Walker County community.”
Phillips, a 26-year veteran in the media industry, emphasized that one of the primary focuses of the Journal is to make it truly be a part of the community.
“I was born and raised here,” he said. “Aside from a short stint in Mississippi, I have always called Walker County home. I’ve never envisioned my life anywhere else. I have young children that I plan to raise here. I love this place and the people here. We want to build a product that the people of Walker County can be proud of and can be a part of.”
Unlike other news outlets backed by large conglomerates, The Community Journal is wholly owned and operated by Winborne and Phillips. Winborne said that the Journal is “the equivalent of a mom and pop shop” when it comes to news media.
“We are starting from nothing while working full time jobs and supporting our families,” he said. “We are doing this because we love it.”
In the spirit of serving the community, The Community Journal will keep its website free-to-use.
“We have no paywall. You don’t need a subscription to read our articles,” Phillips said. “There is a huge audience out there that we want to reach.” Phillips said both he and Winborne believe community news should be readily available to the public.
Joining the two in covering Walker County will be Winborne’s wife, Margaret, who has a history of fiction writing but is new to writing about current events. Additionally, Rachel Davis will make her return to covering east Walker County.
