SHREVEPORT JOURNAL

SHREVEPORT JOURNAL (1895-1991). Originally known as The Judge, the Journal commenced publication on January 7, 1895. Formerly, a newspaper owned by William Falconer had been published in 1848 as the Shreveport Journal. Another, owned by C. W. Hardy, O. P. Ogilvie, and R. P. Moore and called The Shreveport Evening Journal, began publication in 1887. However, despite the similarity of the names, all three were different newspapers. The Judge became the Shreveport Journal on February 17, 1897, and was published weekdays and Sundays. The Sunday edition was discontinued on October 2, 1904, and a week later, the first Saturday edition was published. Shreveport Journal remained a six-day paper for the rest of its existence.

The Judge was founded by J. E. Goodwin. The paper changed hands frequently during the early years. William E. Hamilton bought it around 1900 and operated it until 1911, when it was purchased by The Journal Publishing Company, A. J. Frantz, president, and Douglas Attaway, secretary. Board members included community leaders and businessmen, L. E. Thomas, S. H. Bolinger, George M. Hearne, Col. Jackson Bryan Ardis, Capt. Pinckney M. Welsh, J. Homer Jordan, H. H. Wheless, James M. Smith, and Judge John C. Pugh. In 1918, Attaway acquired controlling interest in the Shreveport Journal. He became president and publisher in 1925 and was succeeded by his son, Douglas F. Attaway, Jr. in 1957.

In 1976, Attaway sold the newspaper to Shreveport businessman, Charles T. Beaird, another Shreveport native with both business and teaching experience. Beaird pledged to continue the tradition of emphasizing local news and the local angle on state and national news, but he also vowed not to be afraid of change, and under his management, the traditionally conservative paper became the city's liberal editorial voice.

In 1991, the Journal folded. Its rival, the Shreveport Times, attributed the demise to "bleak circulation, unfavorable demographics, and liberal editorials." Beaird did not try to sell the paper and was not interested in a local group's effort to buy it.

Bibliography: "The Shreveport Journal, 1895-1991," Vertical File. Northwest Louisiana Archives, Noel Memorial Library, Shreveport: Louisiana State University.

Citation

The following, adapted from the Chicago Manual of Style, 15th edition, is the preferred citation for this article.

"SHREVEPORT JOURNAL" Handbook of North Louisiana Online (http://www…….), accessed …………. Published by LSU-Shreveport.