''The Post and Courier'' is the main daily newspaper in
Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston is the List of municipalities in South Carolina, most populous city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The city lies just south of the geographical midpoint of South Carolina's coastline on Charleston Harbor, an inlet of the Atla ...
. It traces its ancestry to three newspapers, the ''Charleston Courier'', founded in 1803, the ''Charleston Daily News'', founded 1865, and ''The Evening Post'', founded 1894. Through the ''Courier'', it brands itself as the oldest daily newspaper in the South and one of the oldest continuously operating newspapers in the United States. It is the flagship newspaper of Evening Post Industries, which in turn is owned by the Manigault family of Charleston, descendants of Peter Manigault.
It is the largest newspaper in South Carolina, followed by Columbia's ''
The State
A state is a political entity that regulates society and the population within a definite territory. Government is considered to form the fundamental apparatus of contemporary states.
A country often has a single state, with various administrat ...
'' and ''
The Greenville News
''The Greenville News'' is a daily morning newspaper published in Greenville, South Carolina. After ''The State (newspaper), The State'' in Columbia and Charleston's ''The Post and Courier'', it is the third largest paper in South Carolina.
Hi ...
''. It has newsrooms across the state in Greenville, Columbia, Spartanburg, Myrtle Beach, Hilton Head Island and more.
History
The ''Charleston Courier'' was founded in 1803. The founder of the ''Courier'', Aaron Smith Willington, came from
Massachusetts
Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...
with newspaper experience. In the early 19th century, he was known to row out to meet ships from
London
London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
,
Liverpool
Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...
New York City
New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
to get the news earlier than other Charleston papers. He also had a translator working for him, so he could copy items from the
Havana
Havana (; ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.Rudolph Septimus Siegling also served as editor during the 1800s. The ''Charleston Daily News,'' founded in 1865, merged with it to form the ''News and Courier'' in 1873.
The ''Evening Post'' was founded in 1894, but quickly ran into financial trouble. In 1896, rice planter Arthur Manigault stepped in to rescue the paper. The paper and its successors have been in the hands of the Manigault family for four generations. In 1926, Manigault's son, Robert, bought ''The News and Courier.''
During the Civil Rights Era, the ''News and Courier'' was virulently
segregationist
Racial segregation is the separation of people into racial or other ethnic groups in daily life. Segregation can involve the spatial separation of the races, and mandatory use of different institutions, such as schools and hospitals by peopl ...
; indeed, ''
Time
Time is the continuous progression of existence that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, and into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequ ...
'' described it as ''the'' most segregationist newspaper in the South. Its editor, Thomas R. Waring Jr., was a staunch segregationist, as was staffer W. D. Workman Jr., who ran for public office in a campaign that united South Carolina's formerly divided racial and economic conservatives.
Merger
By 1991, it was apparent Charleston could no longer support two newspapers, so the ''News and Courier'' and ''Evening Post'' were merged into a single morning newspaper, ''The Post and Courier.'' However, the two papers had shared the same editorial staff since the 1980s.
The paper acquired several sisters in the 1990s when its parent bought other newspapers and television stations.
In July 2021, the ''Post and Courier'' announced a relocation of its offices to 148 Williman Street. In February 2025, the paper eliminated its Monday and Tuesday print days.
Awards
The newspaper has won the highest awards in journalism, frequently besting much larger news organizations. It has taken a leadership role in exposing corruption and reducing local
news desert
A news desert is a community that is no longer covered by daily or nondaily newspapers. The term emerged in the Newspapers in the United States, United States after hundreds of Decline of newspapers, daily and weekly newspapers were closed in th ...
s with it Uncovered project, a partnership with more than 18 South Carolina newspapers. The project won the 2021 S.C. Press Association's top award for Public Service. In 2015 it won the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service for coverage of domestic violence. In 2019, Tony Bartelme won the inaugural Victor K. McElhenyKnight Science Journalism Award for a story about climate change and the Gulf Stream. In 2016, a team of reporters won a Scripps Howard Foundation Award for an investigation into police shootings. In 2018, the newspaper won the American Society of News Editors Deborah Howell Award for a story about the demise of the Piggly Wiggly Carolina grocery chain. In 2017, the American Geophysical Union awarded Tony Bartelme its Walter Sullivan Award for Excellence in Science Journalism for "Every Other Breath," a series about climate change issues. In 2008, the newspaper won national awards from the Society of Professional Journalists and American Society of Newspaper Editors for coverage of the Charleston Sofa Super Store fire. In 2008, Reporter Tony Bartelme also won the prestigious Gerald Loeb Award for a story about the effect of China's growth on local economies.
Circulation figures
The reported numbers for The Post and Courier's circulation as of the six months ended September 30, 2009, were 86,084 daily and 94,940 on Sundays. This is down some 13% from the period ended March 31, 2008, which were 99,459 daily and 110,289 on Sunday.
At the start of 2009, The Post and Courier's circulation figures were down to 94,647 for dailies and 97,549 for Sundays, 4.8% down from the previous year's figures. By the end of 2012, the circulation figures (including paid and non-paid) had declined to 82,266 for dailies and 92,062 for Sundays.
For the 4th quarter of 2015, paid circulation had dropped to 68,400 for Sundays and 56,000-57,000 for dailies as reported by the Alliance for Audited Media. In the first quarter of 2020, audited daily and Sunday circulation totals were at 45,016 and 51,190, respectively.
Layoffs
A decline in revenue made the paper offer a buyout to employees in 2008 in an attempt to streamline the company and save money. After 64 full-time employees left, bringing the headcount down to 381 by the start of 2009.
On February 6, 2009, 25 more layoffs were announced.
On March 23, 2009, Evening Post Publishing Co., the parent company of the paper, announced that a company-wide furlough plan would take place in the second quarter of 2009 and required employees to take five days of unpaid leave in another attempt to save the company money. The newspaper said the move was necessary "because of the continued weakness of the economy and the impact on advertising."
''Charleston Scene''
One addition to the paper is the weekly ''Charleston Scene'' guide—published on a Thursday, containing entertainment, music and food reviews for the local area.
On February 1, 2010, it was announced that ''Preview'' was renamed and re-launched as ''Charleston Scene'', as of 11 March 2010.