Fortenberry’s account of his investigative crusade as newspaper editor in South Carolina is a powerful read. He left a senior editor’s job in Florida to buy the McCormick Messenger, located in what he describes as one of the most backward counties in South Carolina, a land of good ol’ boys who wanted no boat rockers in their community.
When Fortenberry published stories on the questionable doings of the local sheriff, trouble began. Advertisers pulled out of the paper, his family was ostracized, his children were harassed at school.
His crusade succeeded in unseating two successive sheriffs, a federal conviction for one sheriff, and the persecution worsened. When bombs were set off on his property, his family became worldwide news.