About World Newspaper Publishing

On November 15, 1993, when we sent out the first monthly issue of The Charlotte World (then called "The Charlotte Christian News") we hoped that our paper would grow, but we had no idea that nine years later we would be publishing papers throughout the United States.

Indeed, on the front page of our first issue we were so "hard up" for stories, that we ran one about ourselves. The headline said, "Charlotte Christian News Begins Publicaton." That's right, we spelled "publication" wrong. Not a very auspicious beginning. It was not the last mistake we would make! Indeed, perhaps our most memorable typographical error was one that you never saw. A story about Charlotte Christian School was supposed to be headlined: "Christian School Nurtures Children." We left out the first "r" in "nurtures" before catching this embarrassing typo just before going to print!

Fortunately, we now have proofreaders - and many other staff members - and our newspapers continue to grow. It has been and continues to be an exciting time for us and for the growth in Christian journalism both in North Carolina and around the nation.

We thank God and many of you for allowing us to publish over the past decade. It has been a sometimes overwhelming responsibility, but also a joy and a privilege. We hope to continue for many more years.

When WORLD Magazine publisher Joel Belz was in Charlotte in a couple of years ago to speak at our conference on "Christianity, The Media, and The Modern World," he said that every publication must deal with three vital issues: survival, scope, and significance. We have survived, and we are excited that our "scope" and "significance" is also growing. In Charlotte, we publish more stories each week than any other alternative news outlet. And with the creation "The Triad World" and "The Raleigh World" we are doing more statewide investigative journalism than ever. And with the start-up of "The Columbia World" late in 2001, we have expanded beyond our state's borders - our first step toward becoming a national news organization.

Another change we are making is the development of this web-site. If you are reading this, you already know that! This web-site will not be a place to access key stories from our papers. We hope it will be, rather, a "cyber-community," a place to go to find out more about the issues we cover - a place for in-depth analysis and background information.

So we are making changes to increase the likelihood of our survival, but we are also hoping that these changes will increase our scope and our significance. The feedback we are receiving from many of you suggests that we are indeed beginning to be a significant factor in the lives of many of you. We are grateful for that. We will do our best to live up to the trust you have given us, and to honor God by being a wise steward of the gifts He has given us.

As always, we welcome your feedback. Send us an e-mail by hitting the "Contact Us" button on the left side of your screen.

Warren Smith

Editor, The Charlotte World
Publisher, The Charlotte World and The Triad World

Warren Smith has over 15 years of experience as a writer, editor, marketing professional, and entrepreneur.

Before founding World Newspaper Publishing, Warren spent over seven years as the Southeast Region's Marketing Director for a major division of PricewaterhouseCoopers, a "Big Five" accounting firm. He has also served as the editor of a successful magazine start-up, the founder of a successful small business, and a key executive in other successful, growing businesses.

His professional accomplishments include the publication of over 100 articles on a variety of business, social, and literary topics, and selection as an "Outstanding Young Men In America" and "Who's Who Among American Executives." In 1997 The Business Journal of Charlotte chose him one of Charlotte's "40 Under 40", an annual list of "up and coming" business and civic leaders.

Warren has a bachelor's degree in journalism and a master's degree in English, both from the University of Georgia. He speaks often at churches, youth groups, conferences, and other Christian events. He charges no fee for Christian groups. His speech topics include:

•     "The History Of Journalism In America"
•     "The Re-Birth Of Christian Journalism"
•     "Our Vision For World Newspaper Publishing"
•     "Why Christian Education?"

For more information about booking Warren to speak to your group, please call toll-free: 877/569-9858.