Copyright Charleston Post and Courier
COLUMBIA — With over a decade of experience reporting in the Midlands, Jordan Lawrence has been named Columbia editor of The Post and Courier. “I’m really excited to keep continuing doing this work in a city that I love. I think Columbia is just a fascinating place. It's kind of always aspiring, never quite becoming, but in a way that I find quite charming. There’s never really a time in which you feel Columbia is done. Columbia kind of keeps making itself over and over again, and I love getting to follow that,” Lawrence said. A Spartanburg native, Lawrence attended UNC Chapel Hill before moving to Columbia in 2014, when he joined Free Times as the music editor. Lawrence moved through the ranks, eventually taking over in 2019 as the managing editor. That experience led to a shift away from music journalism to hard news. “It’s not a change I ever saw coming out of college,” Lawrence said. He admitted that even in his music writing he was always drawn to exploring the business side of the industry. “When I got into covering that, I think that just parlayed into wanting to tell news stories in interesting and engaging ways, and trying to show people what’s important and helping them understand a place where they live. I think that’s absolutely vital,” Lawrence said. From his experience managing the Free Times, Lawrence said running a newspaper “just got in my blood.” He left the alt-weekly for a job editing the Lexington County Chronicle, where he cemented his love of news. “I really enjoyed the community of it. I think at a certain level, all journalism is community journalism,” Lawrence said. “If people don’t talk to you and you’re not engaging with a specified, zeroed-in audience, you’re really not doing your job well.” After two-and-a-half years, Lawrence went back to reporting, covering Lexington County for The State. Most recently, he served as the metro editor. As he ponders his return to The Post and Courier, Lawrence reflected on the kinds of stories he likes to tell the most in the Midlands, including stories about local cultural phenomena, explaining the effects of county government and public safety issues. “I think one of the things that The Post and Courier Columbia gives us an opportunity to do right is having that full spectrum between the culture of the Free Times and the hard news elements of (The Post and Courier Columbia). A lot of the best stories are kind of caught in between those things,” Lawrence said. Columbia Publisher Bernie Heller said he’s “beyond excited” for Lawrence to join the team. “He brings a wealth of experience, a deep knowledge of our community and an enthusiasm for our mission and vision that I am certain will help build upon the great work we are doing,” Heller said. Starting Nov. 3, Lawrence said he’s looking forward to leaning on some of the more experienced journalists in the newsroom, as well as being able to coach “up-and-coming” talent. “I think I’m just really excited to keep fighting the good fight, so to speak,” Lawrence said.
