For almost 150 years The Covington News has been Newton County’s news leader. The paper has changed and grown as the community has, and as the area continues to grow, we want to improve our reporting and community interaction.
News organizations in the 21st Century have to mature on the Internet as well as in print and that’s why our staff is excited to announce the launch of our revamped Web site at www.covnews.com.
The new Web site includes several features not available until now and that will improve our ability to offer in-depth coverage of every aspect of life in Newton County.
Round-the-clock news coverage
With the new Web site our news staff has the ability to update stories 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
“To be fortunate enough to be part of a new Web site that will in essence allow the 143-year-old Covington News to become in fact a daily newspaper,” said T. Pat Cavanaugh, general manager, “and that not only will be user friendly for our readers, but also in these trying economic times a positive sales vehicle for our advertisers, just reinforces my pride in being a part of this business for over 40 years.”
The new covnews.com will also feature short news videos of important interviews or taken at happenings around town.
Unfortunately in today’s busy world we can’t make it to every weekend event on the square or the big Friday night game. Don’t worry — we’ll be there to capture events like the Mutt Show as well as the winning touchdown.
Dining Guide
If you’ve ever wondered where to go out to dinner for a special occasion or driven by a restaurant everyday on the way home from work and wondered what kind of food they serve, our new dining guide is just for you.
Almost every restaurant in the Newton, Rockdale and Walton county area from fast-food burger joints to upscale French cuisine bistros has supplied our staff with pertinent information about their establishment.
You can view everything from type of food served to hours of operation to whether the restaurant has a private gathering space.
Ask the Expert
Have you ever wondered how to change your own oil or wondered if your child’s symptoms were the cold or the flu? Our new Ask the Expert section will allow you ask questions of local experts through our Web site.
Experts of all kinds from auto mechanics to medical doctors will become a part of our team to help The Covington News supply all the information you need.
Community section
The element of our new Web site that we are most thrilled about, is the community blog section.
Through this free part of our Web site, any reader can become a citizen journalist or just an active advocate of their favorite cause.
“This capability is almost non-existent for papers of similar size to The Covington News,” said Jennifer T. Long managing editor. “Our staff is eager to see what our readers can accomplish with this new feature.”
Of course we monitor the section for any vulgar or offensive material, but other than that, pretty much everything goes.
We already have a few users signed up to blog about their particular church or civic organization, and we invite you to check out their pages and sign up as well.
By creating a free profile on our community page you can not only share thoughts and information about whatever you choose, but also upload photos to galleries, add events to our public community calendar and leave comments on others blogs and news articles.
“We are excited about all of the opportunities for community interaction the new website allows,” said Charles Hill Morris Jr., publisher. “Since our inception we have been a weekly or tri-weekly paper. The new site allows us to interact minute by minute with the community, not just three times per week.”
