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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | February 24, 2015
Missouri Times Publisher to Resurrect Nevada’s First Newspaper
After a long sabbatical, Territorial Enterprise is making a comeback
Reno, NV – Scott Faughn, publisher of The Missouri Times, and Elizabeth Thompson, former publisher and editor of the Nevada News Bureau, today confirmed the launch of the Territorial Enterprise, a web and print publication that will cover politics, policy, business, and culture around the state.
“Our team at The Missouri Times has a passion for sharing information about politics and public policy process with our readers,” said Territorial Enterprise publisher Scott Faughn. “Expanding our company in the form of resurrecting the Territorial Enterprise in Nevada is a great next step toward our company’s goal of connecting people with more information about their government.”
“I am thrilled to be part of the team that is resurrecting Nevada’s oldest and most irreverent newspaper,” said Thompson, who has been covering Nevada politics and policy since 2008 and will serve as the publication’s editor. “We intend to work hard, have fun, and give readers a reason to keep coming back for more.”
The Territorial Enterprise gained prominence when a young Samuel Clemens began covering the then Territorial Assembly and writing certain dispatches under the pen name Mark Twain.
“In this time of radical change in the media world, there is a poignancy to taking a historic name like the Territorial Enterprise and modernizing it to fit the digital world that I believe Mark Twain would appreciate,” said Faughn.
The owner of the Mark Twain Saloon and historic Territorial Enterprisebuilding in Virginia City and consultant to the project, John Schafer, enthusiastically welcomed the publication back to Nevada.
“It is with great excitement that I look forward to watching the revitalization of one of the most magical names in western journalism,” said Schafer.
The website, www.territorialenterprise.com, will launch on Thursday, March 12, 2015, along with the first print issue which will be a monthly glossy magazine.The publication’s Twitter ID is @TerritorialEnt.
Founded in Genoa, Nevada in 1858, and later published in Virginia City, Territorial Enterprise was graced by the wit and wisdom of writers including Mark Twain and William Wright. The paper was out of publication for a time, revived in 1946, and then later purchased and re-revived by author, journalist, and railroad historian Lucius Beebe and his long-time companion and co-author Charles Clegg in 1952. Clegg and Beebe sold TE in 1961. The publication languished, and the new owners printed the last issue in 1969. In the 1980s, John Schafer’s family revived the paper, which they later sold to owners who planned to turn it into a humorous magazine of national stature. The plan never came to fruition; TE has been dormant since.
About
Scott Faughn is the publisher of The Missouri Times and the president of the SEMO TIMES, a regional news and culture magazine in southeast Missouri. He is also the host of This Week in Missouri Politics, a weekly television show that covers politics and public policy and airs on the ABC affiliate station in St. Louis as well as Fox23 in Cape Girardeau, Mo. Before beginning his publishing career, Faughn was elected the youngest mayor in the history of Poplar Bluff, Mo., at the age of 22. Prior to becoming mayor, Faughn served on the staff of state representatives Rod Jetton and Mark Richardson. Faughn is a graduate of Southeast Missouri State University and Three Rivers College. He is a member of the Missouri Sunshine Coalition, The National Association of Alternative Newsweeklies of America, the St. Louis Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists, The Jefferson City Chamber of Commerce, and the American Civil Liberties Union.
Elizabeth Thompson, formerly Elizabeth Crum, is the founder and owner of E Thompson Media Inc., a communications and public relations firm in Las Vegas. She is also a former co-host of the public affairs program Nevada Week in Review on Vegas PBS, as well as the former co-host of daily political talk show The Agenda on KSNV channel 3 in Las Vegas. Prior to that, she was the political analyst for KTNV channel 13 in Las Vegas (2009-2011) and publisher and editor of the Nevada News Bureau. Elizabeth has appeared on both Fox News and MSNBC to offer commentary on Nevada politics and elections, and has been quoted in or noted by numerous national publications including Wall Street Journal, Politico and U.S. News & World Report. She is also a former “indie” political blogger and has blogged about Nevada politics for numerous publications including National Review Online.