Rapp News and Rapp Voice become 'working partners'
By Mary Ann Kuhn Rappahannok News Staff Writer
The Rappahannock News and The Rappahannock Voice, the county’s online news service, have entered an agreement under which news from Rappvoice.com also will appear in the weekly newspaper.
Mary Ann Kuhn, editor of the newspaper, and James P. Gannon, founder and editor of Rappvoice.com, described the arrangement as a “working partnership” that allows the Rappahannock News to print articles that have appeared on the Internet news service.
“We think our readers will benefit from this arrangement,” said Kuhn. “Jim is a highly respected journalist and we are delighted to have his insight covering important issues in the county. ”
Kuhn explained it is a way to add coverage of important issues in view of recent economic cutbacks in reporters' positions at the paper, she said.
Gannon, 68, is a veteran journalist whose work has appeared in the Rappahannock News over the years. He served 17 years as a reporter for The Wall Street Journal and 10 years as Editor of The Des Moines Register, Iowa's largest daily newspaper. He also served as Washington Bureau Chief for The Detroit News.
For The Wall Street Journal, Gannon covered business, economics, Congress, the White House and national political campaigns. During his time as editor of the Des Moines Register, the newspaper won three Pulitzer Prizes.
Gannon moved to the county in 1994 and lives near Flint Hill with his wife Joan.
The partnership, which was effective July 1, will make available to the newspaper Gannon’s coverage of the Board of Supervisors, School Board, Planning Commission and other governmental bodies. The newspaper will have access to all news appearing on Rappvoice.com and will be free to choose whatever it wishes to print.
Rappvoice will remain an independent business under the ownership and direction of Gannon. Gannon said there will be no change in his services to Rappvoice readers and advertisers.
“I plan to continue doing what I have done since I launched The Rappahannock Voice nearly two years ago—covering whatever I think is the most important news in the county and explaining what it means,” he said.
The arrangement “will make my reporting and other Rappvoice news available to print readers who do not use the Internet,” said Gannon.