Bucking National Trend, The Post and Courier Plans to Open D.C. Bureau

After nine people were fatally shot at a prominent black church in Charleston, South Carolina this June, the hometown newspaper sprung into action.The Post and Courier’s breaking news story, published shortly after the shooting, carried three bylines.

Before the week was out, the paper published a harrowing account that described the massacre in cinematic detail.And when the shooting caused aftershocks in Washington, D.C., The Post and Courier stayed on the story.

But in hindsight, the paper could’ve benefited from having a seasoned hand in Washington, D.C. to hold down its Beltway coverage, said Mitch Pugh, The Post and Courier’s executive editor.

“It would have been nice to have someone up there who had those sources and was able to help us out with that,” Pugh said.Starting early next year, the paper will have just such a reporter.