The following article is an opinion piece and reflects the views of the author.
A few weeks ago, in a spat with another local media outlet on my personal page, a woman who has an across-the-board policy to dislike my work commented to express her support for the other outlet and to call into question my purpose and integrity.
Here’s what she said:
At first I wasn’t going to say anything, but her comment and broader mindset is a reminder that some people see only a fraction of my work. I also think it’s important to routinely remind readers why this forum exists.
A few notes off the top:
First, I have a toddler at home and her toddlerhood is short. The outside world is mine to miss, for now, because that’s what mothers do. Yes, I work, but I’m not going to pass up quality time with her to snap a few photos of an ice cream social. Though even if I wasn’t a mom, I would still miss stories.
Second, my work is not and never has been exclusive to Bulloch County. It is within my coverage area, but I’ve never held myself out to be a WiFi-enabled billboard for all-things Bulloch County. I do, actually, feature positive news, but TheGeorgiaVirtue tag line is about news you can’t find anywhere else.
Third, I have never been paid to write any kind of content for any person or entity. Like all media outlets, TheGeorgiaVirtue displays paid advertisers. An ad placement is not an endorsement as there have been a number of advertisers over the years whose views I don’t endorse or even share.
Further, BAC (Bulloch Action Coalition, for those not from around here) was formed in 2023. I have been a proponent of limited government and lower taxes long before BAC was ever a ‘thing.’ My advocacy for open and transparent government dates back to 2011 and has evolved over the years as I have refined my purpose. The founders of BAC are friends of mine, but we have disagreed on issues at times. Regardless, I respect and support their effort to improve their community the same way I would any entity advocating for the values they hold dear.
As for me and my work…
I have reported on real stories about real people and not in a ‘one hit wonder’ kind of way. My goal has always been to provide news that cannot be found in other places. Things that are hard hitting, in-depth, and shaping communities. That looks different for everyone, but for me it has included some of the following:
Ashlyn Griffin (2021-2024) the domestic violence victim prosecuted for defending herself against her abuser.
Trooper Jacob Thompson (2020-2021) the former Trooper with the Georgia State Patrol whose use of force incident, career, and life generally became collateral damage in a game of political chess played by appointed and elected officials.
The Georgia Department of Corrections and, more notably, the impacts of the prison system on Tattnall County, the Kicklighter family, and the Davis family. My reporting on Smith State Prison to date is the foundation of the Prison Town podcast, of which I was a co-producer and for which we were nominated for a Peabody Award.
Former District Attorney Jackie Johnson – I was ahead of the curve on that one, reporting on her misdeeds long before Ahmaud Arbery.
“Jacob” and the Evans County School System — The middle school student with an IEP who was prosecuted for a disability-related incident. My coverage of his story was the catalyst for an Atlanta attorney to connect with the family and provide legal representation – pro bono – for Jacob.
The complete dismantling of the Brooklet Police Department in 2018 – The series of more than two dozen articles exposed civil rights violations and resulted in four federal lawsuits for constitutional rights violations. All were settled by the city.
Daniel Lister – The 2016 story about an HOA targeting a disabled veteran whose grass wasn’t cut and whose trash can was ‘too visible.’ The story resulted in a GoFundMe, which raised enough money for routine lawn care and, once again, pro bono legal representation to settle the matter favorably for the veteran.
Those stories have changed the trajectories of people’s lives. Sometimes on a very small scale and other times, in an immeasurable way.
For government officials, sometimes those changed trajectories have resulted in ‘negative publicity.’ But I’m just reporting what the government does with our tax dollars. If that comes across negatively or makes people look bad, my baseline recommendation is to encourage those officials to do different things.
Exposing the behavior of those government officials has led to more informed communities. In a few instances, the community has been content with the information, but in most places, it has resulted in change – orchestrated by the citizens themselves. Look no further than the long term coverage in Register (2015), Reidsville (2015-2016), Claxton (2016-2020), the Evans County Board of Education (2017-2025), Oak Park (2018-2019), Guyton (2019-2024), and more recently, the Long County Board of Commissioners (2024-2025).
I’ve been covering the Georgia legislature consistently since 2011 and my reporting ‘turned the lights on’ in the Ogeechee Judicial Circuit, providing unprecedented coverage of the court goings on. I’ve interviewed candidates for Governor and U.S. Senate and every statewide office down to county commission and city council. I even (successfully) sued the City of Savannah and its mayor over First Amendment violations, which was victory for everyone in the Southern District of Georgia – not just me.
So, in summary, Beth is a little late to the party in trying to insult me by referring to my work as a ‘blog.’ That’s been the go-to for more than a decade, but has not been a deterrent. More importantly, whether you call it an online news outlet, a personal blog, or digital toilet paper, writing on the issues I do has an impact. And if a “personal blog” has accomplished all of those things (and more), I am quite proud of that.
I may not have a laundry list of articles about little Addalyn winning first place in the Little Miss Hyundai pageant or about Timmy and his teammates coming in 2nd place in the Little League summer tournament for the third year in a row. Those stories are great for Addalyn and Timmy, but in 20 years, they won’t even remember who wrote those stories and neither will anyone else.
I am more concerned about presenting the real stories than promoting myself through delivering donuts or sponsoring government events. And ‘well recognized’ may be relative. In 2024, more than 566,000 people read TheGeorgiaVirtue.com.
I don’t expect someone who doesn’t like me to understand all of these things and while I do enjoy ‘winning over’ people who once had no appreciation for my work, I also know I’m not for everyone. But disdain for the cause or the delivery doesn’t eliminate the need for the content.
