Editing Union County, Ohio (section)

====Media====
[[File:Preston B. Plumb - Brady-Handy.jpg|thumb|Preston B. Plumb, U.S. Senator, and one-time Marysville resident]]
Publishing exerted great influence over public opinion in the county in its early days. Monthly and weekly publishings were the earliest known forms of the media in the county originally. The earliest known newspaper in the county was the ''Our Freedom and Union County Advertiser'', first published in Marysville in 1839 by Stephen McClain, Robert McBrattney, and William Lawrence. The newspaper was then renamed the ''Union Star'' after a year and continued until May 1841, when it was purchased by John Cassil and renamed the ''Union Gazette''. In 1842, the paper moved to Bellefontaine and was edited by Thomas Robb, with the paper sent weekly to Marysville. In 1843, the paper moved back to Marysville and was published until 1844. During the period it was owned by Cassil, it politically leaned Democratic.<ref>[http://contentdm.photohio.org/cdm4/document.php?CISOROOT=/mpl_his1915&CISOPTR=3602&REC=1 History of Union County] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110727173846/http://contentdm.photohio.org/cdm4/document.php?CISOROOT=%2Fmpl_his1915&CISOPTR=3602&REC=1 |date=July 27, 2011 }}, p.155-156</ref>

In 1844, the paper was purchased by P.B. Cole and W.C. Lawrence, who renamed it the ''Argus and Union County Advertiser'', and moved the politics toward the Whig party. In 1845, the paper was sold to James Alexander, and after only six weeks, sold back to John Cassil, who turned the paper back into a Democrat political newspaper. In 1846, P.B. Cole bought the newspaper back and turned it back into a Whig political newspaper. In 1849, he sold the paper to C.S. Hamilton, who renamed it the ''Marysville Tribune''. A notable printer of the Marysville Tribune was [[Preston Plumb]], who eventually left Marysville and became a U.S. Senator in Kansas. The paper would eventually be purchased by the Shearer family, who published daily editions that were Republican-leaning, and weekly editions that were independent.<ref>[http://contentdm.photohio.org/cdm4/document.phpCISOROOT=/mpl_his1915&CISOPTR=3602&REC=1&CISOSHOW=2551 History of Union County]{{Dead link|date=July 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=no }}, p.157</ref>

Other papers in the county were the ''Eaglet'', formed in 1845, and lasting only a few months. The ''Union Journal'', formed in 1853, lasted a year. It would be moved to Xenia, where it became the ''Xenia News'', and edited by [[Whitelaw Reid]]. The ''Union Press'' was formed in 1858 by Hylas Sabine and was Republican-leaning. In 1863, it was purchased by the Vallandighamer family and changed to the ''Union Democrat'', which changed the paper in politics and spent its time attacking the Union government during the [[American Civil War]]. It ceased operations in 1864. In 1883, the ''Darby News'' was formed in Milford Center and eventually became the ''Milford Echo'' before folding. Also, were the ''Milford Ohioan'' was formed in 1887, the ''Richwood Gazette'' in 1872, the ''Richwood Reporter'' in 1882, which ceased operations two years later when destroyed by fire, and the ''Octograph Review''.<ref>[http://contentdm.photohio.org/cdm4/document.php?CISOROOT=/mpl_his1915&CISOPTR=3602&REC=1&CISOSHOW=2551 History of Union County] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111005054056/http://contentdm.photohio.org/cdm4/document.php?CISOROOT=%2Fmpl_his1915&CISOPTR=3602&REC=1&CISOSHOW=2551 |date=October 5, 2011 }}, p.158-161</ref>

In 1874, the ''Marysville Journal'' was formed by C.M. Kenton, later becoming the ''Union County Journal'', and leaned Democratic. By 1883, the ''Marysville Tribune'' and the ''Union County Journal'' were the only newspapers published in the county. Bruce Gaumer purchased the ''Union County Journal'' in 1904, and later bought the ''Marysville Tribune'' in 1951. In 1952, Gaumer merged the two newspapers into what is known today as the ''Marysville Journal-Tribune''.{{citation needed|date=January 2023}}