Missourian Media Group
The Missourian Publishing Company is a family-owned and operated newspaper and publishing company with two production facilities in Washington, Missouri, and satellite offices in Union and St. Clair, Missouri. The company enjoys a rich tradition and has an impressive record of public service with deep roots in the communities it serves.
Local news has been the heart and soul of our organization since James L. Miller, Sr., purchased the Washington Missourian in 1937.
Like countless other immigrants seeking opportunity and a better life in America, Miller, then three years old, stepped off a gangplank at Ellis Island with his family in 1901. He would serve in World War I and later work as a reporter for two newspapers, the Kansas City Star and Times, in Kansas City where he crossed paths with political names such as Tom Pendergast and Harry Truman.
Never comfortable working for others, Miller struck out on his own to acquire a newspaper which eventually led him to Washington, Missouri, where he bought a struggling weekly newspaper with meager and outdated equipment. Miller was regarded as an independent thinker who wasn't afraid to speak his mind or take risks by gambling on new technology and equipment. The newspaper was one of the first in the state to convert to offset printing from the hot-metal processes. Over time, and with grit and determination, the newspaper and printing company began to flourish.
With the help of his sons, Miller built The Missourian into an award-winning newspaper which year in and year out consistently wins state and national awards for general excellence in its reporting, photography, and content. Today, William L. Miller, Sr., who began working full-time at the newspaper in late 1953, serves as publisher. The third generation of James L. Miller's family owns and manages the company which publishes three newspapers - The Washington Missourian, Union Missourian, and the St. Clair Missourian -and a senior citizens magazine - Senior Lifetimes -as well as a thriving commercial printing operation.
As for James L. Miller, Sr., he was inducted into the inaugural class of the Missouri Press Association's Hall of Fame in 1991 along with Joseph Pulitzer, founder of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, and William Rockhill Nelson, founder of the Kansas City Star.