5th Anniversary Celebration

By Tabitha Ervin
FWIS Editorial Director

On March 12, 2018 the Fort Wayne Ink Spot newspaper was born. As the paper celebrates its 5th anniversary we had a conversation with owner John Dortch to get some insight on why he started the paper, some of his favorites and what he sees for the future of the paper.

Ervin: Why did you start the newspaper?

Dortch: I started Ink Spot for several reasons: There was a Minority Newspaper, Frost Illustrated, that had been in circulation for 50 years here in Fort  and they ceased publication in October 2017. Fort Wayne Ink Spot started publication in March 2018.

I also started Ink Spot to focus on news stories of Minorities in education, employment, entrepreneurship, and focus on young  people. I also had strong feelings about individuals who would not be able to read the paper for various reasons therefore I started giving free papers to the following: Allen County Jail, 3 Women Shelters (St Joe Missions, Charis House, YWCA Shelter) Allen County Juvenile Center, and The Rescue Mission.  These papers are delivered to each of these facilities every other week or twice a month which is over 600 papers a month over 4 years that are given to these facilities free.

Ervin: What  steps did you take to get the paper started?

Dortch: I took the following steps

Created a name for the paper and once I came up with a name, I contacted my Attorney and he got the necessary approval. Then we moved to becoming an LLC. I then contacted my Insurance Company to get Insurance, then my Attorney.  Then I had to contact a Publisher, a Managing Editor, Graphic Designer, and other staff.

I continue to invest and keep it going because I believe in the Mission, Vision, Values, and Goals that we established in the beginning. I believe there is a need to inform the community, area, and the out of town subscribers who once lived here. My own investments, sponsors, and ads have been the lifeblood of Ink Spot.

The many letters, phone calls, and texts from various individuals lets me know the paper is needed. We now have a youth writer and I am happy about that.

Ervin: What are the best or favorite stories of yours?

Dortch: Mental Health articles.

Health and Wellness--This is critical and you can never write enough about it.

Articles written by youth and articles about new or budding entrepreneurs.

Ervin: Tell me about where you see the future of the Ink Spot?

Dortch: The goal is to be the number one media source in Indiana. We would love to get more writers along with more stories and more pages of Ink Spot. We will continue to seek Minority Sponsors, more ads from Minority Businesses, and more Minority entrepreneurs .

Ervin: Thank you and happy 5th anniversary to the Ink Spot!