Rick Patrick
ECB Publishing, Inc.
If anyone seemed destined to be in the newspaper business, it would be Emerald Greene, Publisher of the Monticello News and the Jefferson County Journal. Emerald is the daughter of Tommy and Mary Ellen Greene, founders of the Madison County Carrier, a newspaper published in nearby Madison, Fla. Emerald literally grew up in the newspaper business.
For Emerald, newspaper ink seemed to course through her veins as much as her blood. She learned the ins and outs of running a local newspaper at a very early age. It was also at an early age that she decided that the local newspaper would be her professional life’s calling.
In 1993, Tommy and Emerald together acquired the other newspaper in Madison, the Madison Enterprise-Recorder. In 1997, Emerald officially took her father’s place as Publisher of both local news outlets.
Over the years, Emerald has kept the legacy of her parents alive through her success and accomplishments with the local newspapers. Tommy Greene served on the board of the Florida Press Association for many years and, in 1976, served a term as the Chairman of the Board of the association. Now, 47 years later, Emerald has taken over the duties of Chair of the Board of Directorsfor the Florida Press Association. “I am deeply honored and humbled to have been chosen as the Chairman of the Florida Press Association Board,” said Emerald. “This has been a dream of mine since I was a little girl and attended the Florida Press Association’s conventions and watched my father serve on the board as well as in the capacity of Chairman.”
As part of her duties, Greene will continue to be an advocate for printed newspapers around the Sunshine State, especially the smaller community newspapers, such as the Monticello News and the Jefferson County Journal. “I love working with newspapers all around the state of Florida, to help strengthen our communities and achieve our shared goals of bringing fair and true stories to the readers of each of our counties,” added Greene. “One of the greatest rewards of being in the newspaper business, is giving back to the community and keeping all the local citizens informed of what’s happening in their corner of the world.”
“Newspapers are important; they give information, educate people, create jobs for people, help improve the levels of literacy, and offer some form of entertainment. Newspapers help bridge the gap between the public and government. Without the newspaper reporting about the local government happenings, the citizens would be left in the dark and the government agencies would remain oblivious to the wishes of their constituents.
“Daily newspapers are often full of national and state news. But weekly/community newspapers…now that’s where the fine reading is. Community newspapers tell their local citizens what is happening in their corner of the world. You don’t find your local hometown news on the internet. The only place to find your local news is in your local newspaper.”
Under her leadership, the Greene Publishing family has continued to grow. In 2007 Emerald began publishing sister papers, the Monticello News and the Jefferson County Journal, in Monticello. Next, Emerald, along with her daughter, Cheltsie Holbrook, ventured into the field of magazines with the popular The Front Porch magazine, debuting in 2019, which entertains and delights readers across the north central Florida region. In 2020, Emerald and Cheltsie founded the Riverbend News, which serves Suwannee, Hamilton and Lafayette counties out of their Live Oak location. These publications have consistently proven themselves to be some of the finest in the state, as evidenced by 37 awards won by the publications at the recent Florida Press Association Weekly Newspaper Awards luncheon, held during the Florida Media Conference, in Sarasota.
“I cannot thank our staff enough for their unwavering dedication and tireless work ethic. Their commitment to excellence has been proven year after year with the abundance of state-recognized awards that we continually win. I am incredibly grateful and proud of each and every one of them,” said Greene on the occasion of the awards luncheon.
Although Greene will have added statewide duties, her heart will continue to be with the communities served by the newspapers she runs. “We take pride in our work and community newspapers are a part of all of us. They tell our stories. They shape our community. They record our community’s history for people to read years from now. We not only work here, but we also live here! We are your neighbors and your friends! We share your values and we love our community because we are a part of it! It is our passion to share the community news with its citizens!”
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