Wikipedia

Cherokee Scout

The Cherokee Scout is a weekly newspaper in Murphy, North Carolina, and Cherokee County. It is one of the largest newspapers in far-west North Carolina.

The Cherokee Scout
The Cherokee Scout newspaper's main office
TypeWeekly newspaper
FormatBroadsheet
OwnerPaxton Media Group
PublisherRachel Hoskins
EditorRandy Foster
Founded1889
HeadquartersMurphy, NC, 28906
United States
Circulation5,748 (as of September 2023)[1]
OCLC number10012322
Websitecherokeescout.com
Black and white image of the entire front page of the newspaper.
Front page of the Cherokee Scout (Murphy, NC) from October 21, 1890.

The newspaper goes to press and is published online on Tuesdays. Its print edition is mailed on Wednesdays.[2] The Scout had a paid circulation of 5,748 in 2023.[1]

The Scout publishes a number of special sections throughout the year. It has published "Readers Choice Awards" since 2005. The newspaper also prints an annual football guide named "Pigskin Preview," an annual basketball guide, "Mountain Hoops," and other guidebooks on schools, health, and veterans.[3]

History

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The Cherokee Scout was preceded by multiple Murphy newspapers: the Cherokee Herald (1874–1876), the Murphy Bulletin (1885–1889), and The Murphy Advance (1889).[4] The Cherokee Scout began weekly publication in July 1889 using a letter press.[5][6] A 1910 map shows the Scout's office on Peachtree Street near the Cherokee County Courthouse. In January 1946, the Scout offices and printing plant relocated to a newly constructed flag stone building at 20 Hickory Street. Before then the offices and printing plant were separated by two blocks.[7] An offset printing plant was installed in March 1961 on Hickory Street to replace the letter press. It was the first offset press in western North Carolina.[6]

The Scout opened a 5,000-square-foot office it built at 110 S. Church Street on January 16, 1964.[8] In 1965, the Scout became the first newspaper acquired by Community Newspapers, Inc.[9] Three years later in March 1968 the paper installed a new Goss offset press to print the Scout and five other western North Carolina newspapers: The Andrews Journal, Clay County Progress, The Franklin Press, Highlands Highlander, Smoky Mountain Times, and Graham Star. [6] The first color photographs appeared in the Scout by November 1973.[10] The Scout office was robbed in 2001.[11] The Cherokee Scout website, CherokeeScout.com (then TheCherokeeScout.com), launched by 2002.[12] CNI eventually closed the Scout's pressroom and moved printing to Franklin, North Carolina.[13] The Scout built and moved into its current downtown office at 89 Sycamore Street in 2008.[14]

The Scout faced competition from the weekly Cherokee Sentinel newspaper until the Sentinel closed in January 2012 when its publisher fell ill.[15][16] The Andrews Journal was merged into the Scout on January 1, 2019. The Journal had been published in Andrews since 1965. Since merging, the Scout has been the only newspaper serving Cherokee County.[17] Randy Foster became editor in February 2023.[18] In October 2025, the newspaper announced it plans to sell its office in 2026 and move to a smaller location that has not yet been announced. Publisher David Brown said the company's space was three times as big as what is needed and the move was for the sake of efficiency.[2]

In the early 2020s, the Scout stored the steeple, bell, and other furnishings belonging to the adjacent Harshaw Chapel, believed to be the oldest extant structure in the county, until repairs were made in 2025.[19][20]

In 2026, Community Newspapers, Inc. sold the Scout and eight other papers to Paxton Media Group.[21] Paxton eliminated Brown's position and appointed a regional publisher to oversee eight newspapers in his place.[22]

Slogans

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Former slogans include “If it isn’t in the Scout it’s because we didn’t know it” (c. 1920s), “The People’s Paper” (c. 1934), “Our Aim: A Better Murphy, A Finer County” (c. 1939), “Dedicated to promoting Cherokee County” (c. 1956), and “Cherokee County’s Best Buy” (c. 1966).[23]

Awards

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As of 2026, the Cherokee Scout has won more than 250 regional, statewide, and company journalism and advertising awards. The newspaper has on multiple occasions won the General Excellence award from the North Carolina Press Association.[24] In 2016 alone the paper won awards from the N.C. Press Association for news photography, sports and religion reporting, plus second place in the "Best Niche Publication" category.[25] In 2019, photographer Ben Katz won Hugh Morton Photographer of the Year in the Community Newspaper Division.[26]

Publishers

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  1. F.E. Case (1889–1890)
  2. Dr. J.W. Patton & J.S. Meroney (1891–1894)
  3. J.S. Meroney & Towns (1895–1914)
  4. Tate Powell (1915–1922)
  5. Bryan W. Sipe (1923–1925)
  6. C.W. Bailey (1925–1933)
  7. L.A. Lee (1934–1939)
  8. Victor C. Olmsted (1940–1942)
  9. Addie Mae Cooke (1943–1952)
  10. William V. and Emily P. Costello (1953–1955)
  11. George N. Bunch (1956–1957)
  12. Roy A. Cook (1958)
  13. Jerue Babb (1959–1962)
  14. Jack T. Owens (c. 1963–c. 1974)
  15. Weaver Carringer (c. 1985–2002)
  16. David Brown (2003–2026)
  17. Rachel Hoskins (2026–present)

Notable contributors

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See also

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References

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  1. 1 2 Brown, David (2023-10-04). "Statement of ownership, management, and circulation". Cherokee Scout. Murphy, N.C.: Community Newspapers, Inc. p. 5A.
  2. 1 2 "Newspaper plans to relocate office". Cherokee Scout. Murphy, NC: Community Newspapers Inc. 2025-10-22. p. 1A. Retrieved 2025-10-21.
  3. ↑ "Older Archives". Special. Cherokee Scout.
  4. ↑ "Cherokee County Newspapers". North Carolina Newspapers. DigitalNC.
  5. ↑ "Scout plans 75th anniversary edition soon". Cherokee Scout. Murphy, N.C. 1964-07-23. p. 1A.
  6. 1 2 3 "Scout begins major expansion program". Cherokee Scout. Murphy, N.C. 1968-02-22. p. 1A.
  7. ↑ "Cherokee Scout moves into its new building". Cherokee Scout. Murphy, N.C. 1946-01-10. p. 1A.
  8. ↑ "Open House: Come see how your newspaper is made". Cherokee Scout. Murphy, N.C. 1964-10-22. p. 3A.
  9. ↑ Brown, David (2026-04-01). "A new era begins". Cherokee Scout. Murphy, NC: Paxton Media Group. p. 4A.
  10. ↑ Brown, David (2023-11-01). "This week in local history". Cherokee Scout. Murphy, N.C.: Community Newspapers, Inc. p. 8A.
  11. ↑ Brown, David (2026-03-25). "This Week in Local History". Cherokee Scout. Murphy, NC: Community Newspapers Inc. p. 8A.
  12. ↑ "The Cherokee Scout". www.thecherokeescout.com. Archived from the original on 2002-06-19. Retrieved 2026-04-06.
  13. ↑ Foster, Randy (2026-05-27). "Weathering change in community news". Cherokee Scout. Murphy, NC: Paxton Media Group. p. A4.
  14. ↑ "Website feedback". Contact. Cherokee Scout.
  15. ↑ "Cherokee Sentinel". mondotimes. Mondo Code LLC.
  16. ↑ "Twitter". 2012-01-17.
  17. ↑ Brown, David (2018-12-27). "Andrews Journal merging with Cherokee Scout". Retrieved 2019-03-08.[permanent dead link]
  18. ↑ "Scout kicking off new year with an experienced editor". Cherokee Scout. January 31, 2023. Retrieved July 26, 2024.
  19. ↑ Foster, Randy (2025-02-05). "Harshaw Chapel to get new roof, steeple". Cherokee Scout. Murphy, NC: Community Newspapers Inc. p. 2A.
  20. ↑ Van Buskirk, Stacy (2026-05-06). "Harshaw Chapel reopening after roof restoration project". Cherokee Scout. Murphy, NC: Paxton Media Group. p. A9.
  21. ↑ "Paxton Media Group acquires nine titles from Community Newspapers, Inc". Editor & Publisher. April 1, 2026. Retrieved April 1, 2026.
  22. ↑ Staff reports (2026-05-20). "New publisher over 8 newspapers". Cherokee Scout. Murphy, NC: Paxton Media Group. p. A1.
  23. ↑ "The Cherokee Scout (Murphy, N.C.)". DigitalNC.
  24. ↑ Brown, David (2026-05-20). "Saying goodbye to an old friend". Cherokee Scout. Murphy, NC: Paxton Media Group. p. A4.
  25. ↑ North Carolina Press Association. "2016 Editorial Tab" (PDF). www.ncpress.com. Retrieved 2019-03-08.
  26. ↑ "2018 NCPA Editorial and Advertising Awards". NC Press Association. March 21, 2019. Retrieved May 10, 2019.
  27. ↑ DeTitta, Tom. "A World of Words". Tom DeTitta: Author, Playwright, Journalist. Retrieved 2024-02-26.
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