Growth is never easy. You have to fight for it. That’s something our media outlet knows all about. We’ve spent the last decade-and-a-half carving out a unique niche for ourselves in South Carolina’s “marketplace of ideas.” Over that time, we’ve earned a reputation as an “independent, unapologetic” voice for truth, justice, fairness, accountability and long-overdue reforms to the Palmetto State’s notoriously corrupt, self-serving institutions – including some of its media institutions.
We’ve also earned a reputation as an outlet that subjects itself to the same standards – keeping our microphone on (and open) to those with dissenting, even harshly critical views.
Want to call us out? We will not only listen to you … we’ll publish you. Unedited. Unfiltered. And featured every bit as prominently as our reporting and commentary.
Our growth has come in “fits” and starts over the years, but it has always been marked by a commitment to going “all in” on our work. In other words, your subscriptions subsidize one thing (and one thing only): More people telling more stories as part of an unwavering effort to get more positive outcomes for those we cover and those who comprise our audience.
Which reminds me …
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Today, we are pleased to welcome Andy Fancher to our growing fold.
Like this media outlet, Andy knows a little bit about starting from nothing … and fighting for every inch of ground.
A native of Dallas, Texas, Andy has extensive journalism experience dating back to his high school years. In fact, as a high school senior he self-funded a critically acclaimed web series on the lives and legacies of World War II veterans. Fancher’s work on that series was featured on NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt.
Not bad for a high school reporter, right?
Fancher’s first job was working aboard a saltwater fishing vessel in the Gulf of Mexico – which he followed with construction and landscaping positions. That’s good work. Hard work. Honest work.
Andy is the first of his family to graduate from college – transferring from Mountain View College (part of the Dallas County Community College District) to the University of North Texas, where he graduated cum laude in 2022. During his collegiate career, Fancher won four Lone Star local Emmy awards for his investigative work as director of special projects at ntTV.
He’s also done original reporting on issues near and dear to our media outlet’s heart – including the deteriorating situation at the U.S.-Mexican border.
Take a look …
(Click to View)
After graduating from college, Fancher left his home state to take his first post with a local media outlet – WIS TV 10 (NBC – Columbia, S.C.).
Fancher, 24, has some decided “outlaw” roots. He is kin to Joe Craig Fancher, who gained national notoriety in 1980 after he stole “The Gambler” – music legend Kenny Rogers‘ race car. The carjacking sparked a multi-state FBI manhunt.
“I am thrilled to carry the ungovernable spirit of my late ancestors forward in a journalistic capacity,” Fancher said.
Fancher’s arrival at FITSNews has not been without incident, either. Earlier this month, FITSNews found itself on the receiving end of some threatening messages from corporate attorneys representing Gray Television – WIS’ parent company.
These messages made false allegations – and menacing threats – against us related to Fancher’s envisioned employment at FITSNews. Apparently, my media outlet – which WIS has heretofore referred to dismissively as a “blog” – is now viewed as a broadcast competitor?
Maybe FITSNews really has “arrived …”
Those of you familiar with this media outlet are well aware we do not shy away from a fight. Win, lose or draw … we go to the mattresses. Our attorneys take cases like this to the bitter end – especially when principles are on the line.
To that end, Gray has already been introduced to two of our attorneys – and I am very much looking forward to acquainting them with the rest of our team in the weeks and months to come. Having picked a fight with us, my hope is this out-of-state corporation will at least do us the honor of … fighting.
Because that’s what we’re going to do …
I told Andy this week FITSNews has a chip on its shoulder – something to prove. We are a South Carolina born-and-bred company that was built from nothing. One hundred percent from the ground up. His story is the same thing.
“I have no shame in how I came up,” he said.
Neither do we …
That’s why we welcome a battle that will only serve to showcase who we are versus our apparent “competitors.”
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR …
Will Folks is the founding editor of the news outlet you are currently reading. Prior to founding FITSNews, he served as press secretary to the governor of South Carolina. He lives in the Midlands region of the state with his wife and seven (soon to be eight) children.
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15 comments
So that’s where young Bril Creme ended up.
Is this kid one of those conservative YouTube types that have high-pitched voices and talk like the speed is on 1.5x?
You seem more like a fan than a hater with this obsessive commenting. Thirsty much babes? Go back to sucking off alcoholic Braddy Boy at WIS if you need a drink that bad. ??
To be hitting bottom at such a young age is regrettable.
Funny how Will is always welcoming newcomers to his blahg, but they disappear silently like Soviets who fell from grace and were erased from pictures in 60s USSR.
Wonder how long he strings them along without pay? This kid is from “outlaw” stock (if that includes drunkenly stealing a car and then getting caught because you didn’t know what to do with it counts), so probably for a while. That outlaw stock ain’t very bright.
Who is that woman he hired to help cover the Murdaugh trial? She disappeared after the first week or two. Then there were the other two ladies that took off after doing a lot of the legwork on Murdaugh for Will. He definitely cannot keep help around.
Didn’t Nancy Mace’s daddy pay to start this blog to give Nancy something to do?
What happened to the claims thus blog’s founder had an “affair” with Nikki Haley?
So, if working on boats, landscaping and construction are “hard” and “honest” work, what does that make working for disgraced politicians and blogging from home for a living?
Welcome to the sad world of MAGA water-carrying and Drunkle, kid.
Remember, a Republican might recognize hard and honest work for optics, but they’ll never fight for those workers to get anything more than subsistence wages. They see hard workers as capital sees them, as resources to be exploited.
Solidarity for the UAW and its members.
It’s those losers fault for not capitalizing on taxpayer handouts that you never have to repay!
That’s the real “hard honest work” being a MAGA diehard!
His (young) background is interesting and commendable. look forward to hearing from Mr. Fancher!
It’s interesting how you go from getting featured on FoxNews as a teenager, then parlaying that into a job at WIS (gotta start somewhere) but losing that to end up working for a MAGA-hack blog?
Must be a very “interesting” background…
It’s because he’s shitty at his job.
Lol…the comments almost always outshine the article. Typically with the predictably sad, moronic, liberal drivel from cretins with MAGA living rent free in their brains. Nonetheless, the pathetic opinions do have some entertainment value.
So true!
It ain’t too hard for anonymous bored people’s comments to outshine these blog posts
LMAO how many people seem to hate FitsNews based on these comments, but still take the time to read articles and make comments.