The Hoke County Board of Commissioners – at least some of them – are by all appearances trying to hide public information from Hoke County citizens, with the side effect of driving The News-Journal out of business.
The commissioners who aren’t actively involved with these attempts at suppressing information, haven’t yet chosen to take action about it. One commissioner, Mary McCollum, wasn’t elected to the board until long after this situation began and had nothing to do with it. And, in fairness, we’ve heard the board members are not in unanimous agreement on the topic.
“I did not vote to stop advertising in The News-Journal. Local newspapers are vital to our community,” Commissioner Allen Thomas said on the matter.
But ever since The News-Journal sued Hoke County over public records in April 2024, the county has published dozens upon dozens of important public notices in The Fayetteville Observer, instead of The News-Journal, where they had always been. These notices are required by law to be put in front of the eyes of citizens, because of just how important the information they contain really is.
https://www.hokenews.com/index.php/2025/05/15/editorial-freedom-under-fire/