Fletcher Farrar has received the James C. Craven Freedom of the Press Award. Don Craven, Illinois Press Association attorney, presented Farrar with the award at the Illinois Press Convention held June 4 in East Peoria.
Michelle Ownbey, executive editor of Illinois Times, sent in a nomination earlier this year:
“Fletcher Farrar is the owner of Central Illinois Communications, the parent company for Illinois Times and various other publications. He is also the longtime editor of IT, although over the course of the last several years he has been transitioning his editorial responsibilities to me (Michelle Ownbey) in order to prepare the publication to carry on after his retirement.
“He is now spending most of his time helping us transition to a nonprofit, Local Journalism Matters, and working with the American Journalism Project and the Press Forward chapter established by the Community Foundation for the Land of Lincoln to get that done. Once we receive our 501(c)3 designation from the IRS – hopefully in the next few months – he will become the president of the board of directors. He is currently serving on the search committee for a CEO for our nonprofit.”
“While Fletcher didn’t found Illinois Times, he purchased the business less than two years after it launched, and he has become synonymous with IT. The publication celebrated its 50th anniversary in September 2025. It’s a remarkable achievement for any locally owned business, but particularly for a newspaper, given the grim statistics for the industry nationwide.
“Fletcher was a founding member of our national trade association, now known as the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies, and IT continues to be an active participant in AAN. Many of our counterparts closed their doors, sold to corporate chains, or transitioned to digital-only models following the pandemic. We continue to print 20,000 copies a week that are distributed in five counties, in addition to an increasing number of short, timely, online-only articles.
“While we started as an alternative to mainstream media, we have increasingly become the paper of record for the Springfield area, offering everything from in-depth analysis of local news to extensive coverage of community events. We have partnered with the nonprofit SeeGov to provide highlight reels of meetings for local governing bodies such as the Springfield City Council, Sangamon County Board, Springfield School District 186 and more. We hired our first digital media coordinator in 2025 and this year we plan to launch a daily digital newsletter and a podcast to expand the options for ways people can stay informed.
“The success of Illinois Times and our other publications is largely due to Fletcher and his unwavering commitment to local journalism. What we do matters more now than ever.”
The James C. Craven Freedom of the Press Award is awarded for a lifelong commitment to the principles of a free and open press. It is named after the late James C. Craven, a longtime Springfield attorney and appellate court judge who provided legal counsel to reporters and editors at Illinois Press Association member publications.
