The New Citizen deserves everyone’s support

Let’s get right to the gist of this column…Peachtree City, and indeed the entire South Metro area, is blessed to have a new, up to date, balanced journalistic enterprise serving the community. 

That enterprise is the new version of The Citizen, a well-known local news operation with a near 50-year heritage of service to the community. The new Citizen is doing an increasingly outstanding job as a voice of reason, a source of important news, and a clearinghouse for ideas and opinions.

Now, if you’re wondering who I am and why I think The Citizenso important, let me explain. 

First, I’m a life-long resident of this community. I grew up in Fairburn and saw Peachtree City emerge from a time when the Highway 54/74 intersection was managed with four-way stop signs. 

Second, I’ve been writing about this area, off and on, for more than 60 years. Yep, 60. I’m old, and in 1965, I got my first byline as a very young (14) sports reporter for the South Fulton Recorder, a weekly newspaper in Fairburn. I wrote stories covering eighth grade and junior varsity football at Campbell High School. 

Fast forward 10 years, and lo and behold, I’d become the paper’s editor. I covered city councils, county commissions, new businesses, police, and even helped start the South Fulton Rotary club. I was enmeshed in the community, and so was our paper. 

Today, I look back on those early years with great fondness and pride. South Fulton, and all of South Metro, were changing rapidly and community journalism played a role in that development. 

I was fortunate to know Jimmy and Margo Booth, who started This Week in Peachtree City in 1974. Jimmy and I spoke often, and I witnessed firsthand the important role they and their publication played in the earliest days of Peachtree City. 

Today, I see the same type of commitment from Ellie White-Stevens. She’s taking The Citizen in a critical new direction, merging modern technology with the basic values of community journalism. 

Ellie was kind enough to meet with me for a long visit recently, and I came away very impressed. She has great ideas, she’s committed to her community, and she’s a tireless worker. Ultimately, Peachtree City and the Fayetteville-PTC-Newnan corridor will be better for her efforts. She and The Citizen deserve this community’s support.