| dbo:abstract
|
- The Mountain Eagle is a local weekly newspaper published in Whitesburg, Kentucky. It is the main newspaper of Letcher County, Kentucky and one of the primary newspapers of Eastern Kentucky. It was published by Thomas E. Gish until his death in November 2008 and edited by his son, Benjamin T. Gish. Founded by Nehemiah Webb in 1907, The Mountain Eagle The Mountain Eagle was purchased by Tom and Pat Gish in 1956 and has been owned by the Gish family of Letcher County ever since. It has won numerous awards for its coverage of strip mining and its environmental effects, education, and political corruption. After the newspapers office was set on fire by an arsonist in 1974, Tom and Pat Gish produced a new print the next morning in which they had changed the newspaper's motto from "It Screams" to "It STILL Screams." Tom Gish was born and raised in Letcher County while Pat Gish was from Central Kentucky. The two met at The University of Kentucky. Tom Gish would later become a bureau chief for United Press in Frankfort, and Pat would become a reporter for The Lexington Leader which is now part of The Herald-Leader. The two had planned on moving to Columbus, Ohio, for Tom Gish's work; however, on a visit at Tom Gish's home they found that The Mountain Eagle was for sale and decided to buy it and remain in Letcher County the rest of their lives. It did not take long for the newspaper to gain attention as both Tom and Pat were experienced journalists. On November 21, 2008, Tom Gish died at the age of 82, and Pat Gish died on April 13, 2013, at age 87. This left the newspaper in need of a new editor and publisher and both roles would be fulfilled by Ben Gish, the son of Tom and Pat. Pat Gish was pregnant with Ben Gish when they purchased The Mountain Eagle and thus he grew up being involved in the newspaper and began working there at 5 years old, folding newspapers. (en)
|
