Avery Journal-Times
U.S. center-left
Background
The Avery Journal-Times was founded in Newland, North Carolina, on May 21, 1959, by Sherman Pritchard, and has served as the newspaper of record for Avery County ever since. It covers community news across Avery County and adjacent parts of Watauga and Mitchell counties in North Carolina as well as Roan Mountain, Tennessee, publishing a print edition every Thursday. The paper was eventually acquired by Adams Publishing Group, a company founded in late 2013 by Mark Adams after a career in private equity, as part of a rapid expansion into community newspaper ownership. By 2022, the Adams family's company owned more than 127 newspapers in 20 states; in 2025 it rebranded as Adams MultiMedia to reflect its growing digital operations. The Adams family patriarch, Stephen Adams, is a Republican donor who raised $1 million for George W. Bush in 2000, though the Avery Journal-Times itself is rated Left-Center by Media Bias/Fact Check based on local op-ed and endorsement patterns. The paper has a clean fact-check record and no notable editorial controversies on the national level, consistent with its identity as a hyperlocal community outlet.
Sources
- Avery Journal Times – Bias and Credibility | Media Bias/Fact Check
- About Us | Avery Journal-Times
- Avery Journal (Newland, N.C.) 1959–Current | Library of Congress
- Avery Journal Times | North Carolina Press Association
- Who are the Adams family, and why are they buying newspapers by the dozen? | Poynter
- Adams MultiMedia | Wikipedia
Profile compiled 2026-07-13; refreshed when ownership, funding, or the administration changes.