- Remembering a rural publishing pioneer who was also a committed Christian.
Many West Country communities know the name George Pulman well. He is considered something of a Victorian media mogul who founded Pulman's Weekly News way back in 1857.
His media brands continued to be a prolific news source for over 150 years throughout the prime agricultural counties of Devon, Dorset and Somerset.
Pulman's news was always renowned for its reliability and trustworthiness. What was published by Pulman's journalists could be considered as being true.
What people may not know is that George Pulman was also a lifelong committed Christian who worshipped regularly at his local town church in Axminster, Devon.
To help rouse local attendance, George would enthusiastically play the church organ on a Sunday morning. There he went on to meet and marry his young wife, who was likewise drawn to become a regular member of the same Axminster congregation.
Throughout his life he believed in the importance of building community: through Church, rural life and local news. He always upheld values of truth and helped give voice to many West Country causes and concerns that might otherwise have been cast aside and forgotten.
Journalism was a task that required the utmost responsibility and was a profession treated with great respect.
So in today's era of fake news and political propaganda, perhaps it is time to remember the values of one of the news media's earliest pioneers.
A man of faith who built a regional media empire in the wake of the industrial revolution which lasted through multiple generations.
The 'Pulman's Award' and bursary continues to uphold the same values of George Pulman and is open for nominations throughout the year.
George Philip Rigney Pulman: 1819 - 1880
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