FITSNews
News 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.
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Type of site | News |
|---|---|
| Available in | English |
| Founded | 2006 |
| Area served | South Carolina, United States |
| Founder | Will Folks (Founding Editor) |
| Key people | Dylan Nolan (Director of Special Projects) Jenn Wood (Director of Research) |
| URL | fitsnews |
| Commercial | Yes |
| Registration | Optional |
| Current status | Active |
History
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 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.[3][4]
Folks announced he was reviving his political consulting company Viewpolitik in 2005 and founded FITSNews in 2006.[5] FITSNews covers news and events in South Carolina.
Columbia Journalism Review has described FITSNews a "conservative-libertarian website covering politics", and as "a must-read for Palmetto State politicos".[6] The New York Times said it is a "jarring mix of political scoops ... and photos of scantily clad women accompanied by off-color remarks."[7][8]
Nancy Mace, who has served in both the South Carolina and United States House of Representatives, was a onetime co-owner of the site. She began working for Folks in 2007 by providing marketing and technical support for the site.[9][10] Mace sold her stake in 2013.
FITSNews was named to The Washington Post's list of the "best state political blogs" in the country in 2010.[11]
Later that year, 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.[12][13] Politico magazine compared the episode to the Bill Clinton sex scandal of the 1990s.[14]
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.[15] After Folks refused to reveal the site's sources for the story, Bingham's attorney sought to have him held in contempt of court.[16] 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.[17]
"FITS" stands for "Faith in the Sound", referencing a George Michael lyric.[18]