FITSNews
New website in South Carolina, United States From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
FITSNews is a United States–based news website that covers politics and current events in South Carolina.
 | |
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) |
| URL | fitsnews |
| Commercial | Yes |
| Registration | Optional |
| Current status | Active |
History
Summarize
Perspective
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
Wikiwand - on
Seamless Wikipedia browsing. On steroids.