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Andrew Spellman on Muck Rack

Andrew Spellman

Verified
Charles Town
As seen in: The Spirit of Jefferson Advocate, Substack, Flipboard, Yahoo Sports, West Virginia MetroNews, Rapid City Journal, Bluefield Daily Telegraph, Charleston Gazette-Mail, Frederick News Post, The Journal, The Dispatch (Lexington, NC) and
Covers:  Politics | Sports | Business
Editor-in-chief, Spirit of Jefferson newspaper | Founder/Owner of 81 Creative | @wvumediacollege X2 alum | Pretty handy with a camera

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Andrew Spellman’s Biography

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I'm the editor-in-chief of the Spirit of Jefferson newspaper in Charles Town, W.Va., where I lead coverage spanning local news, national and state politics, business, and environmental issues.

Previously, I served as managing editor at Project Upland Magazine, where my environmental reporting notably focused on upland bird populations in the western United States from 2020-23. Overall, I'm proud to provide impactful journalism tailored to diverse topics and audiences.

Andrew Spellman’s Journalist Portfolio

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Heavily-amended HB 2014 heads to the Governor's desk after a lengthy back-and-forth in the State ...

Heavily-amended HB 2014 heads to the Governor's desk after a lengthy back-and-forth in the State ...

CHARLESTON, W.Va. - House Bill 2014, which is expected to spur microgrid and data center development througho…

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Downtown business owners share concerns, frustrations about weekend protest stymying sales

Downtown business owners share concerns, frustrations about weekend protest stymying sales

CHARLES TOWN, W.Va. - "We're not happy. A lot of us aren't happy."

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Abolishing Department of Education expected to greatly impact West Virginia

Abolishing Department of Education expected to greatly impact West Virginia

Last Thursday, President Donald Trump signed an executive order directing Department of Education Secretary L…

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Federal cuts hit Harpers Ferry

Federal cuts hit Harpers Ferry

A light chill flowed through the streets of Frederick, Md., the Monday after Valentine's Day, but the energy …

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State Legislatures 'Need to Leave Management Decisions to the Experts' as Anti-Hunting Bills Inte...

State Legislatures 'Need to Leave Management Decisions to the Experts' as Anti-Hunting Bills Inte...

There's a new level of intensity with anti-hunting bills, and it's time for statehouses to leave management d…

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New Hampshire Beagle Clubs in the Crosshairs as State House Pushes Bill to Ban Live Snowshoe Hare...

New Hampshire Beagle Clubs in the Crosshairs as State House Pushes Bill to Ban Live Snowshoe Hare...

Banning the capture and propagation of wild hares for beagle training and field trials would effectively kill…

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Articles

From the Editor's Desk: The Spirit of Jefferson named 2026 Best of West Virginia finalist

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By Andrew Spellman Verified
| The Spirit of Jefferson Advocate Verified
The Spirit of Jefferson has been named a finalist in this year’s Best of West Virginia competition for the “Best Small Local Newspaper.” We are extremely excited to be in this category with our sister paper, the Hampshire Review, as well as the other candidates like The Inter-Mountain, Register-Herald and my alma mater's paper, The Daily Athenaeum. We would like to thank whoever nominated us for this wonderful award, and look forward to the final round of voting in the coming months.
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Jefferson County Commission unanimously votes through resolutions opposing Valley North transmission line project

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By Andrew Spellman Verified
| The Spirit of Jefferson Advocate Verified
CHARLES TOWN — The Jefferson County Commission voted unanimously to pass two resolutions in opposition to Valley Link’s massive Valley North transmission line project during their Aug. 6 meeting, much to the delight of those in the audience. A third possible resolution was brought to the table, but failed to receive a second.
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FOIA abuse, AI generated falsehoods and personal attacks: Jefferson County Commission directly addresses what they consider serious concerns

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By Andrew Spellman Verified
| The Spirit of Jefferson Advocate Verified
CHARLES TOWN, W.Va. — Between the July 16 and Aug. 6 Jefferson County Commission meetings, commissioners called out what they claimed were abuses of county resources and content generated by artificial intelligence by the same party. The comments led to an independent investigation by The Spirit, looking into the claims made by various commissioners.
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Interview

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What was your first job as a journalist?

Staff photojournalist.

Have you ever used a typewriter?

Yes, I love analog devices.

How is social media changing news?

It's completely shaken up how news is reported, both positively and negatively, and journalists need to adapt daily to maintain audiences.

Awards

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West Virginia Press Association 1st Place

2024 - Sports Columnists

Named best sports columnist among Division II newspapers in the state of West Virginia. Most columns revolved around West Virginia University athletics, as well as state high school sports.

West Virginia Press Association

2018 - Sports Columnist

Awarded second place in the sports columnist category among Division II newspapers in the state of West Virginia. Columns focused on state high school sports.

West Virginia Press Association

2018 - Sports Photography

Awarded for the best sports photograph among Division II newspapers in West Virginia.

Pacemaker Award

2017 - General Excellence

The Daily Athenaeum was named a 2017 Pacemaker winner, the Associated Collegiate Press' highest award. During my final year at West Virginia University (2016-17), I was part of the editorial team as the Art Director and was responsible for leading a large team of photographers and videographers. I was also responsible for overseeing page design.

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West Virginia Press Association

2016 - Page design

Society of Professional Journalists Award

2016 - Feature Photography
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Society of Professional Journalists Award

2016 - Breaking News Photography
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