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Connecting with all audiences

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Kathryn R.C. Reaves
  • 20th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
SHAW AIR FORCE BASE, S.C. --  In the modern world, news is available in many formats suitable for a variety of audiences.

Individuals at Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina, currently have the opportunity to access local and national Air Force information via social media, the internet and print publications such as newspapers.

However, The Shaw News newspaper now distributed is not an Air Force-produced newspaper.

The base produced its first newspaper in 1942 with the title Shaw Field Flight-Line. The name of the paper changed several times over the years, before settling on The Shaw Spirit in 1981.

At that time, Camden Media Co. began publishing the paper as a contractor, said Mike Mischner, Camden Media Co. publisher.

The Shaw Spirit, the last Air Force-contracted newspaper here, published its final issue Feb. 9, 2007. The installation then began to focus on distributing news electronically.

However, some individuals still preferred receiving news in print.
The Camden Media Co. began independently publishing a newspaper, The Shaw News, during the same year with articles and photos published by the 20th Fighter Wing Public Affairs office.

“I think there is something more significant, more tangible when you hold and read an actual newspaper versus online media and websites,” said Martha Bruce, The Shaw News editor. “It’s ink and paper, and it’s real, and it can’t be changed or revised. Every issue of The Shaw News likely becomes a keepsake for someone because of an article or photo that is important to him or her. I believe that printed newspapers will always have a niche in the information world, alongside cyber media.”

The publication now distributes approximately 5,000 copies on a weekly basis across the base and in the Sumter community, said Mischner.

With a 75 year history, the base’s newspapers have continued to unite the community by providing relevant and timely information. Now, with the combination of electronic and print resources, Team Shaw members can keep up-to-date while near or far.