Cheney Free Press
{{Short description|American newspaper}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2025}}
{{Infobox newspaper
| name = Cheney Free Press
| type = Weekly newspaper
| owners = Free Press Publishing
| foundation = 1896
| language = English
| headquarters = 1616 W. First St.
Cheney, WA 99004
| circulation = 3,695
| circulation_date = 2022
| oclc = 17315741
| website = {{URL|cheneyfreepress.com}}
}}
The Cheney Free Press is a weekly newspaper published in Cheney, Washington since in 1896.{{cite book |last1=Bagwell |first1=Steve |last2=Stapilus |first2=Randy |year=2013 |title=New Editions: The Northwest's newspapers as they were, are, and will be |publisher=Ridenbaugh Press |location=Carlton, Oregon |isbn=978-0-945648-10-9 |oclc=861618089 |url=https://archive.org/details/neweditionsnorth0000bagw/page/196/mode/2up |page=196}}{{Cite news |date=April 23, 1896 |title=The State Press (seattle) |pages=4 |work=The Seattle Post-Intelligencer |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/23256410/the-state-press-seattle/ |access-date=2021-03-12}} It was not the first newspapers there; the North-West Tribune was published in Cheney from June 1880 to about 1886, and was the second in Spokane County.{{cite journal |title=Newspapers of Washington Territory |first=J. Orin |last=Oliphant |journal=The Pacific Northwest Quarterly |volume=39 |number=3 |date=July 1948 |page=235 }}{{cite news |title=Additions to Professor Meany's: Newspapers of Washington Territory |first=J. Orin |last=Oliphant |work=The Washington Historical Quarterly |volume=18 |number=1 |date=January 1927 |pages=33–54 |jstor=40475079 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/40475079 }}
History
The Cheney Free Press was established by three Northwest newspaper veterans, H. H. Hubbard, Dr. D. J. Turner and A. L. Ames.{{Cite news |last=Hubbard |first=H. H. |last2=Turner |first2=D. J. |last3=Ames |first3=A. L. |date=May 28, 1896 |title=Regarding The Cheny Affray {{!}} Mr. Sutton Has No Connection With the Free Press. |work=The Spokesman-Review |pages=3}} It first published in April 1896.{{Cite news |date=April 23, 1896 |title=The State Press. |work=The Seattle Post-Intelligencer |pages=4}} The paper's first editor was George H. Wallis. It was originally delivered by horseback riders and the press stood underneath a tree as there was no building to house it.{{Cite news |date=March 12, 1926 |title=Spencer Buys Cheny Paper; Pioneer Publication Sold to Dean of Journalism at State University. |work=Spokane Chronicle |pages=34}} The paper was launched in opposition to the Cheney Sentinel.
In May 1896, Wallis entered a post office to get his mail when he was assaulted by Richard A. Hutchinson in the lobby. The two fought and Wallis ended up with a large gash across his temple and a tracked skull. Hutchinson was upset about an article in the paper accusing him of corruption. Witnesses alleged Hutchinson attacked Wallis with a billy club or a slungshot, but no weapon was found.{{Cite news |date=May 27, 1896 |title=A Serious Fight At Cheny {{!}} George Wallis Badly Beaten by Dick Hutchenson. |work=The Spokesman-Review |pages=1}}{{Cite news |date=May 30, 1896 |title=Assault With A Deadly Weapon {{!}} Complaint Filed By Wallis Against Senator Hutchinson |work=The Spokesman-Review |pages=3}} At trial, the defence argued Wallis actually hurt his head after falling against a desk.{{Cite news |date=June 18, 1896 |title=Fate Of A Senator {{!}} Hutchinson Assault Case Concluded and Given to the Jury. |work=The Spokesman-Review |pages=7}} The jury convicted him of simple assault.{{Cite news |date=June 19, 1896 |title=Notes of the Courts. |work=The Spokesman-Review |pages=7}}
In May 1898, Spencer L. Alexander purchased the paper.{{Cite book |last=Edwards |first=Jonathan |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Qf40AQAAMAAJ&q=%22Cheney+Free+Press%22+alexander&pg=PA568 |title=An Illustrated History of Spokane County, State of Washington |date=1900 |publisher=Eastern Washington Genealogical Society |isbn= |location= |pages=568}} Brothers Furman and Merrill Alexander bought the Union Printing Co.{{Cite book |last= |first= |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0o8gAQAAMAAJ&q=%22Cheney+Free+Press%22+alexander&pg=PA554 |title=The Inland Printer |date=1900 |publisher=Maclean-Hunter Publishing Corporation |isbn= |location= |pages=554}} Soon after the purchase, it was announced in a neighboring paper that the Free Press had deserted the Republican party and endorsed the People's Party and the fusion movement.{{Cite news |last= |first= |date=August 5, 1898 |title=The Cheney Free Press. |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/23256299/the_cheney_free_press_politics/ |access-date= |work=The Ellensburg Dawn |page=2}}
In 1912, the Free Press began dedicating one of its six pages to the local high school, whose students assumed editorial control of the page's contents.{{Cite news |last=Oliphant |first=J. Orin |date=1912 |title=Featuring High School News |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=34g9AQAAMAAJ&q=%22Cheney+Free+Press%22&pg=PA232 |work=The Washington Newspaper |publisher= |location= |pages=231 |language=en |isbn=}} In that same year the Free Press lost a libel suit worth $1,250, and was joined by other Washington newspapers in its call for the state to update its libel laws.{{Cite news |date=1912 |title=The Cheney Free Press Libel Suit |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=34g9AQAAMAAJ&pg=PA172 |access-date=2021-03-12 |work=The Washington Newspaper |language=en}}
In 1915, Willis Swank bought the paper. He sold it in 1926 to Vernon Frost and M. L. Spencer, dean of the school of journalism at the University of Washington.
In 1932, the paper was part of Medical Lake Press.{{Cite web |last= |first= |date= |title=Cheney Free Press- EWU |url=https://alliance-primo.hosted.exlibrisgroup.com/primo-explore/fulldisplay?docid=CP71118492540001451&context=L&vid=EWU&search_scope=ewu_only&tab=default_tab&lang=en_US |archive-url= |archive-date= |access-date=November 30, 2020 |website=Eastern Washington University Library}} In 1936, Harry N. Beall and Max Schafer bought the paper.{{Cite news |last= |first= |date=April 17, 1936 |title=Cheney, Wash., April 17 |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/23255799/cheney_wash/ |access-date= |work=Medford Mail Tribune |pages=7 |agency=Associated Press}} In 1953, it was acquired by Guyel T. Frost.{{Cite news |last= |first= |date=July 19, 1968 |title=Cheney Free Press Publisher Dies |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/23255637/guyel_t_frost_dies/ |access-date= |work=Corvallis Gazette-Times |pages=9 |agency=Associated Press}}
In 1989, Jeff Fletcher, owner of the Grant County Journal, purchased the Free Press from the Wilbur and Jantz families. At the time the paper has a circulation of 3,200.{{Cite news |date=January 28, 1989 |title=Editor & Publisher 1989-01-28: Vol 122 Iss 4 |url=https://archive.org/details/sim_editor-publisher_1989-01-28_122_4/page/22/mode/2up |access-date=2021-03-12 |work=Editor and Publisher |publisher=Duncan McIntosh |language=English}}{{Cite news |date=January 6, 1990 |title=1989 Non-Daily Newspaper Sales |url=https://archive.org/details/sim_editor-publisher_1990-01-06_123_1/page/74/mode/2up |access-date=2021-03-12 |work=Editor and Publisher |publisher=Duncan McIntosh |language=English}} Journal News Publishing was controlled by majority partner Jeff Fletcher, owner of the Grant County Journal.
In 2007, Fletcher's sold his company, Journal News Publishing, to Bill Ifft. He renamed the company Free Press Publishing; at the time the company owned several weekly newspapers in eastern Washington, including the Spokane Valley News Herald (its largest paper), the Davenport Times, and several specialty publications, and owned 70% of the Ritzville Journal.{{Cite news |last=Gustafson |first=Jeanne |date=July 26, 2007 |title=Cheney News Publisher Buys Out Partner |url=https://archive.org/details/sim_journal-of-business_2007-07-26_22_16/page/n5/mode/2up |access-date=2021-03-12 |work=Journal of Business |publisher=Northwest Business Press Inc. |language=English}}
The company had previously had an ownership stake in the Newport Miner and the Grand Coulee Star, but had sold its interest to the local owners. The company planned to buy an additional press to support its own publications and also to serve other publications such as the Adams County Journal, the Wilbur Register, and the Miner.
In Mach 2020, Free Press Publishing acquired the Odessa Record and The Whitman County Gazette. Both newspapers are published weekly.{{Cite news |last=Thomas |first=Virginia |date=March 12, 2020 |title=Free Press Publishing acquires two newspapers: Cheney company adds weekly publications in Whitman County, Odessa |url=https://www.spokanejournal.com/local-news/ |access-date=2021-03-12 |work=Spokane Journal of Business}}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- [https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn88085062/ Library of Congress entry]
- alt titles - Medical Lake Press
- [http://www.cheneyfreepress.com/ Cheney Free Press website]
Category:Newspapers published in Washington (state)
Category:Spokane County, Washington