Trenton mayor wins inaugural Missouri Newspaper Champion Award
Missouri Press Association outgoing President Peggy Scott presents Trenton Mayor Jackie Soptic with the inaugural Newspaper Champion Award at this year’s press association conference in Wildwood.
By Telegraph staff
TRENTON – Because of her efforts to help bring back a local newspaper in her community, Trenton Mayor Jackie Soptic received the inaugural Missouri Newspaper Champion Award from the Missouri Press Association.
The award was given out Sept. 12 at the annual MPA convention and trade show, held this year at the Wildwood Hotel in Wildwood. The award was created by the press association to honor Missourians outside of the newspaper industry who go above and beyond in supporting and advocating for community newspapers, said MPA Executive Director Chad Stebbins.
“I was very appreciative to be the first recipient of the award from the Missouri Press Association. I believe the closer you get to local, the closer you get to the truth,” said Soptic of the recognition.
Soptic reached out to CherryRoad CEO Jeremy Gulban after learning last year the then-local paper was going out of business. Gulban, who created the CherryRoad Media Division in 2020 because of his passion for community newspapers and eradicating news desserts, began meeting with Soptic and community stakeholders within days to determine how best to bring a paper back to the area. The new paper, the Trenton Telegraph, was launched Sept. 12 of this year.
“When our longstanding newspaper had to close, I felt it was imperative that a viable option be developed. I am excited for the future of the Trenton Telegraph and thank CherryRoad Media for believing in Trenton and investing in this venture,” said Soptic.
The Trenton Telegraph printed its first issue Friday, Sept. 12. The print paper publishes each Friday.
The Trenton Telegraph publishes the print paper each Friday. More frequent multimedia news updates, however, are available online at TrentonTelegraph.com as well as on social media @TrentonTelegraph on Facebook, @trenton_telegraph on Instagram and @thettelegraph on TikTok.
“What’s remarkable about this story is that most mayors would be delighted not to have a newspaper in a community because they wouldn’t have that scrutiny that the press often brings. Well, Jackie Soptic is the complete opposite. She wanted her community to be continually served by a newspaper,” said Stebbins. “In Missouri, there are 114 counties and 112 of them have newspapers so there are only two newspaper deserts. Well, without the efforts of Mayor Soptic, Grundy County would’ve been the third one.”
The Telegraph is unique in its business model as it is community owned and operated in partnership by CherryRoad with the Grundy County Industrial Development Corporation.
Gulban said launching a new community-owned paper in today’s environment is both rare and remarkable.
“We’re honored to partner with GCIDC and Mayor Soptic to invest in Trenton’s future. Our team is so excited to embark on this unique opportunity to put local news into the hands of the citizens it serves, as we at CherryRoad have a deep belief in the power of community journalism,” he said.
To learn more about the award or the press association, visit mopress.com. To learn more about CherryRoad, visit cherryroad.com.
