Serving Whitman County since 1877
Serving Whitman County since 1877
Our History
The Whitman County Gazette is the oldest continuously published newspaper in Washington state. It was first published in 1877 as the Palouse Gazette, then later changed to the Colfax Gazette. The Colfax Gazette purchased a competing paper, the Colfax Commoner, and for many years, the merged papers were known as the Colfax Gazette-Commoner. This was eventually shortened to the previously used moniker of Colfax Gazette. In 1989, the name was changed to the Whitman County Gazette to reflect its county-wide distribution.
Among the Gazette family of publications, the Colfax Daily Bulletin, was started in 1936 and eventually purchased by the Gazette.
The Gazette and Bulletin are today owned by Free Press Publishing, Inc., and Roger Harnack. Under the ownership of Bill Ifft, Free Press Publishing acquired the papers from former owner/publisher Gordon Forgey on March 1, 2020. Roger was a minority owner of the company at the time but purchased full ownership from Bill Ifft on Oct. 1, 2022. Today, Roger serves as both president and publisher of the Eastern Washington media company.
Under Free Press Publishing, the Gazette and Bulletin joined the Cheney Free Press, Lincoln County Record-Times, Fairchild Extra (Fairchild Air Force Base), Ritzville Adams County Journal and Spokane Valley News Herald. Free Press Publishing publications are printed at the company's headquarters in Cheney, Wash.
