Alton Telegraph
The Alton Telegraph, formerly known as the Alton Evening Telegraph (until 1986), is a prominent small-town newspaper in the Midwest, namely Alton, Illinois, which has a storied history dating back to Elijah Lovejoy. The Telegraph reported on his murder by a pro-slavery mob in 1837, which became a national sensation. This newspaper has been continuously published since 1836, when it was founded as part of the anti-slavery movement.
In 1900, thriving Alton had four newspapers. At one point the Alton Evening Telegraph was a "dry newspaper," and it "had to run an evangelical series to boost its circulation when the local saloons boycotted the newspaper."[1]
The paper was owned by four generations of the Cousley family.[2] The Cousley family owned a controlling interest from 1895 until 1985.[3] This newspaper helped make Alton a thriving town in the first half of the 20th century, prior to a declining population in the late 1900s.
The newspaper was known for reporting on religion stories as "hard news" rather than merely "soft news" or puffery, and "has one of the strongest church editorial sections in the country."[2]
It owns the strong domain name, "thetelegraph.com".[4]
References
- ↑ https://www.csmonitor.com/1981/0625/062563.html
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 https://www.csmonitor.com/1981/0625/062563.html
- ↑ Jill Moon, The Telegraph (Alton), "Alton community leader Mary Lou Cousley, 76, dies unexpectedly, leaves legacy of love," February 28, 2017.
- ↑ https://www.thetelegraph.com/