Today we’d like to introduce you to Rachel Madison.
Hi Rachel, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I’ve always believed that local journalism matters, but I don’t think I ever imagined I would one day own the newspaper in the community where I was raising my family.
My path here wasn’t exactly a straight line. I’ve always loved writing, storytelling and being involved in my community, and over the years that eventually led me to The Liberty Hill Independent. The more involved I became with the newspaper, the more I saw just how important it was to Liberty Hill—not only to report the news, but to document the people, businesses, schools and moments that make this community what it is.
In 2023, I had the opportunity to purchase The Independent, a newspaper that had already been serving Liberty Hill for over three decades. Taking ownership was exciting and terrifying all at once. I knew I wasn’t just buying a business; I was taking responsibility for something that belonged, in many ways, to the community.
Since then, I’ve worked to grow The Independent beyond the traditional newspaper while staying true to what makes local journalism important. We’ve expanded our digital and social media presence, created new publications and community projects, built partnerships with local organizations and found new ways to tell Liberty Hill’s stories—all while keeping our journalism free and accessible without a paywall.
It’s been a lot of long days, late nights and figuring things out as I go, but I’m incredibly proud of what The Independent has become. Liberty Hill is growing and changing quickly, and I feel fortunate to have a front-row seat to that history—and the opportunity to make sure our community’s stories don’t get lost along the way.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Definitely not. Owning a small-town newspaper has probably been one of the most rewarding things I’ve ever done, but also one of the hardest.
When I took over The Independent, I inherited a newspaper at a time when the entire industry was changing. I had to learn very quickly how to be a journalist, publisher, salesperson, business owner, problem solver and everything in between. We have a very small staff, so there really isn’t a job that I don’t do when it needs to be done.
One of the biggest challenges has been figuring out how to make local journalism financially sustainable while still keeping our news free and accessible to everyone. That has forced me to get creative—building new publications, events, sponsorships and other revenue streams that allow us to continue doing the journalism our community needs.
There have also been plenty of personal sacrifices. Running a newspaper doesn’t fit neatly into business hours, especially in a fast-growing community where news is happening constantly. Balancing the newspaper with being a wife and mom and just life in general can be difficult.
There have absolutely been moments when I’ve wondered how I was going to keep all the plates spinning. But every challenge has pushed me to become more resourceful, more confident and more certain about why this work matters. I’m still learning as I go—and I think I probably always will be.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
The Liberty Hill Independent has been telling Liberty Hill’s story for nearly 40 years, and I’m incredibly proud to be carrying that legacy forward while also reimagining what a local newspaper can be.
At our core, we are a community newspaper. We cover the things that directly impact the people who live here—local government, schools, growth and development, businesses, sports and, most importantly, the people who make Liberty Hill special. We believe local journalism should be accessible to everyone, which is why we don’t have a paywall.
But The Independent has also grown into much more than a traditional newspaper. We produce special publications, community guides and magazines, podcasts, social media content, sports products and other projects that celebrate and connect our community. We also work closely with local businesses to help them tell their stories and reach the people who live here.
I think what sets us apart is that we are truly local. We live here, raise our families here, shop at these businesses, sit in the stands at these games and attend the same community events as our readers. We’re not reporting on Liberty Hill from somewhere else—we’re part of it.
Brand-wise, that is probably what I’m most proud of. I want people to see The Independent as something that belongs to Liberty Hill. We take our responsibility as the community’s keeper of record seriously, but we also want to celebrate this community and create things people want to save, share and look back on years from now.
As Liberty Hill continues to grow, my goal is for The Independent to grow with it without losing the small-town connection that made this newspaper special in the first place.
We’d love to hear about how you think about risk taking?
I don’t know that I’ve ever thought of myself as a risk-taker, but looking back, I probably am.
Buying The Liberty Hill Independent was certainly one of the biggest risks I’ve ever taken. I was taking on a legacy business in an industry that everyone will tell you is struggling, without any guarantee that I could make it work. But I also knew how important the newspaper was to this community, and I believed there was a future for local journalism if we were willing to do things differently.
Since then, I’ve learned that risk doesn’t always mean making one huge leap. Sometimes it means being willing to try something new, knowing it might fail. We’ve launched new publications, events, sponsorship opportunities and community projects. Some ideas have worked incredibly well, and others haven’t—and I’ve learned from both.
I think my approach to risk is pretty simple: If I believe in something, I’m willing to work really hard to give it a chance. I try to be thoughtful about the risks I take, but I also don’t want fear of failure to keep me from trying.
Owning The Independent has taught me that sometimes the bigger risk is staying comfortable and doing things the way they’ve always been done. Liberty Hill is changing quickly, and if we want this newspaper to still be here decades from now, we have to be willing to change, experiment and grow right along with the community.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.lhindependent.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/libertyhillindependent
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/libertyhillindependent
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-liberty-hill-independent
- Twitter: https://x.com/LHIndependent
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/thelibertyhillindependent
- Other: https://open.spotify.com/show/34LqP38n2igY2GK1vsY0AS?si=a317cf7498d44b96
