FITSNews

FITSNews is a United States–based news website that covers politics and current events in South Carolina.

FITSNews

Screenshot
Type of site	News
Available in	English
Founded	2006
Area served	South Carolina, United States
Key people	Will Folks (Founding Editor) Dylan Nolan (Director of Special Projects) Jenn Wood (Director of Research)
URL	fitsnews.com
Commercial	Yes
Registration	Optional
Current status	Active

History

FITSNews founder Will Folks worked as a campaign staffer and spokesman for Republican Gov. Mark Sanford until 2005, when Folks resigned and pleaded guilty to a domestic violence charge.^[1][2] Folks announced he was reviving his political consulting company Viewpolitik in 2005 and founded FITSNews in 2006.^[3] Folks has been called by The State the "bad boy of South Carolina journalism" and a "Palmetto State politico with a reputation as a hell raiser" by The Guardian.^[4][5] The Columbia Journalism Review called FITSNews a "conservative-libertarian website covering politics," and The New York Times said it is a "jarring mix of political scoops ... and photos of scantily clad women accompanied by off-color remarks."^[6][7]

In 2010, as South Carolina state Rep. Nikki Haley campaigned in a Republican primary for governor, Folks published a series of blog posts claiming that Haley had engaged in an extramarital affair with him. Haley denied the allegations.^[8][9] Politico magazine compared the episode to the Bill Clinton sex scandal of the 1990s.^[10]

Nancy Mace, who has served in both the South Carolina and United States House of Representatives, was a onetime co-owner of the site, but sold her stake in 2013. She began working for Folks in 2007 by providing marketing and technical support for the site.^[11][12]

In 2017 FITSNews was sued for libel by former South Carolina legislator Kenny Bingham over a story it published which cited anonymous sources alleging ethics violations by Bingham.^[13] After Folks refused to reveal the site's sources for the story, Bingham's attorney sought to have him held in contempt of court.^[14] The South Carolina Press Association supported FITSNews' defense against the potential contempt citation, which judge William P. Keesley declined to impose. A jury ultimately ruled in favor of Bingham, and imposed nominal damages of $1 on FITSNews.^[15]

"FITS" in the site's name, FITSNews, stands for "Faith in the Sound".^[16]

Reporting

FITSNews covers news and events in South Carolina. The Columbia Journalism Review has described it as "a must-read for Palmetto State politicos".^[17] In 2010, FITSNews was named to The Washington Post's list of the "best state political blogs" in the country.^[18]

References

1. Jordan, Jacob. "S.C. governor's spokesman charged after incident". Associated Press. Archived from the original on 19 September 2022. Retrieved 19 September 2022.
2. "Will Folks pleads guilty to criminal domestic violence". WIS-TV. 28 September 2005. Archived from the original on 21 February 2015. Retrieved 19 September 2022.
3. Smith, Ben (June 10, 2010). "The blogger who upended S.C." Politico. Retrieved November 5, 2020.
4. "The lawyer who tried faking his death, and the writer exposing his crime dynasty". The Guardian. 2021-12-16. Retrieved 2021-12-16.
5. Monk, John (September 25, 2017). "Will Folks of Fits News dodges jail and fine in confidential-source dispute". The State. Retrieved November 5, 2020.
6. Meares, Joel (June 20, 2011). "FITSNews: Impolitic South Carolina political news". Columbia Journalism Review. Archived from the original on 2012-03-02. Retrieved November 5, 2020.
7. Dewan, Shaila (May 25, 2010). "FITSNews: Scandal Rattles Politics in South Carolina, Again". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 2018-02-25. Retrieved July 16, 2024.
8. Hutchins, Corey (10 November 2011). "Folks spills on Haley". Archived from the original on 21 January 2021. Retrieved 19 September 2022.
9. Folks, Will (4 February 2011). "It's Not Tolstoy But …". FITSNews. Archived from the original on 9 February 2011.
10. Smith, Ben (10 June 2010). "The blogger who upended S.C." Politico. Archived from the original on 22 June 2017. Retrieved 19 September 2022. Folks says he admires Matt Drudge, who made his name breaking news about the sex scandal that almost got Bill Clinton thrown out of office. But Folks has established a new model of sex scandal for the new-media age. In South Carolina's latest circus, Folks isn't just Drudge; he's also Monica Lewinsky.
11. Largen, Stephen (August 7, 2013). "Ties to FITSNews a Campaign Issue for Graham Challenger". Free Times. The Post and Courier. Archived from the original on January 1, 2024.
12. Fry, Erika (20 November 2023). "A Day in the Life of South Carolina's 'Sic Willie'". Columbia Journalism Review. Archived from the original on 16 October 2017. He also has a business partner, Nancy Mace—Folks notes that she is the first woman to graduate from The Citadel—who built the site and works as his promoter and occasional editor.
13. May, Charlie (June 28, 2017). "South Carolina political blogger faces potential jail time for refusing to reveal his sources". Salon. Retrieved November 5, 2020.
14. Hutchins, Corey (January 6, 2017). "Will a South Carolina political blogger go to jail to protect his sources?". Columbia Journalism Review. Retrieved November 5, 2020.
15. Monk, John (January 26, 2019). "Lexington jury finds blogger libeled ex-Rep. Bingham; awards $1". Retrieved December 30, 2021.
16. Gray, Rosie (March 9, 2013). "South Carolina Blog Co-Owner Could Primary Lindsay Graham". BuzzFeed. Retrieved November 5, 2020.
17. "Will Folks". ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia. Retrieved December 16, 2020.
18. Cilliza, Chris (May 13, 2010). "The Best State Political Blogs". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on July 9, 2009. Retrieved December 16, 2020.