COVINGTON, Ga. — Taylor Beck has been named the publisher of The Covington News, Owner Patrick Graham announced today.

“Taylor is an incredibly talented young journalist,” Graham said. “He’s a newspaper guy through and through, which are becoming increasingly harder to come by these days, and I have every confidence in his ability to deliver an outstanding product for our readers, our advertisers and our community here in Covington and Newton County.”

Beck previously served as the managing editor of The Sand Mountain Reporter in Albertville, Alabama. Before becoming the managing editor there in March 2019, he was a staff writer and served as the magazine editor for the newspaper’s Land+Lake publication for two years. He was a digital content producer at WBRC Fox 6 News in Birmingham before joining The Reporter.

Beck has received numerous awards from the Alabama Press Association including the 2020 Emerging Journalist Award, as well as the 2019 Best Local Economic Coverage (third place) and 2018 Best Spot News Story (first place) awards.

“This is a tremendous opportunity for me and for my family,” Beck said. “I can’t tell you how excited I am to be a part of a community like we have in Covington and Newton County, and I look forward to working with the outstanding staff here at The Covington News to publish the kind of newspaper our readers, advertisers and this community deserve.”

A 2016 graduate of the University of Alabama, Beck, 25, is a native of Douglas, Alabama. Before attending the university, he studied at Snead State Community College in Boaz, Alabama. He graduated from Douglas High School in 2012.
Beck is married to Kelly Whitman Beck, of Douglas. The couple has two children, 1-year-old son Eli and 2-month-old daughter Opal Mae.

Beck succeeds Madison Graham, who is returning to The Walton Tribune in Monroe as the director of advertising, her role before leaving the paper for other opportunities last year.

“Madison has done a really good job as the publisher here in Covington under really unprecedented circumstances for a first-time publisher,” Graham said. “However, I need her to come home and help me in Monroe where she excelled in her director of advertising role, and I expect her to excel as she takes those reins once again.”

The Covington News is one of five newspapers Graham owns. Graham also owns The Walton Tribune; The Sand Mountain Reporter; Jackson County Sentinel in Scottsboro, Alabama; and the Times-Journal in Fort Payne, Alabama.