The Journal: Bringing Avoyelles Parish together for 48 years

By Randy Decuir, Publisher Emeritus

About a year ago, my cousin Damon Didier, a Marksville police officer, summed up our busiest days at the newspaper perfectly:

“You were the Facebook of Avoyelles.”

He was referring to the Journal, which my bride of 51 years and I launched in November of 1978, 48 years ago this week.

Before the Journal, three solid newspapers served Bunkie, Cottonport and Marksville. But there wasn't a single paper connecting the entire parish. We wanted to unite everyone under one roof, so we delivered the paper free to every household in Avoyelles.

The idea took off faster than we imagined. The Journal quickly became the voice of every corner of the parish, from town centers to rural dirt roads. Bottom line: If you wanted to keep something a secret, you definitely didn't put it in the Journal.

We treated every community equally. No single area got priority. Every church fair mattered; every town council mattered. Our readers trusted us, fed us news and relied on us week after week for 30 great years.

Then the internet arrived.

Amazon finished off many of the small merchants that Walmart had already swallowed.

And the news shifted.

As media evolved, our methods shifted. Today, the Journal focuses on what's fixin' to happen across Avoyelles Parish, while our consolidated local papers cover the detailed recaps of what has already taken place.

It has been the honor of a lifetime to serve this parish over the last five decades. We look forward to seeing Avoyelles Publishing keep our community informed for many years to come.