History
The Gabber Newspaper – originally the Gulfport Gabber – was founded in 1968 by George Brann, primarily to cover Gulfport City Council. Brann’s paper soon became a vital resource for the community, expanding the advertising base and coverage, to include features, community news and events. Elsie and Ted Havness bought the paper from Brann in 1980 and sold to Ken and Deb Reichart 1992, who owned the paper for 28 years before selling to Cathy Salustri Loper and Barry Loper in June 2020.
The Gabber Newspaper is the oldest independent weekly newspaper in Florida. We serve South Pinellas communities – from Madeira Beach to Tierra Verde; from Gulfport to Pinellas Park; and in south, west, and downtown St. Petersburg, you’ll find local news, community events, in-depth feature stories and the most extensive classifieds of any weekly newspaper in the area.
The Gabber is an independent, family owned newspaper. We’re proud of our history and our future.
Mission
The Gabber Newspaper has no agenda other than to inform the public through accurate and honest reporting, to engage the community, and help us all better understand our hyper-local and regional world.
We believe all politics are local, and that what we do, as journalists and as private citizens – even on a small scale – echoes throughout our community. Our mission and values are at the heart of everything we do, from political and cultural reporting, to design elements and community involvement.
Fact Checking and Transparency
As a news outlet, our primary responsibility is to disseminate information in as clear, concise, and correct a manner as possible.
Gabber writers and editorial staff make every effort to confirm the veracity of the facts in a story, as appropriate to the nature, complexity, and time constraints of the piece.
We check facts, not opinions. With hyperbolic statements, we verify the fact at its source and make every effort to clarify quotes that may be misleading.
As necessary, and whenever possible, Gabber writers and editorial staff independently verify facts, claims, and allegations, particularly those made by public officials or sources.
Corrections
How we handle errors in our reporting is at the heart of our ethics and transparency policies. If we’re wrong, we say so – and correct our mistake as swiftly as possible, in print, online and across social media platforms.
The Gabber follows AP guidelines for corrections. Our writers must notify editorial staff of errors in reporting as soon as possible. We will acknowledge the error to our readers and address it clearly in an editor’s note – at the top of the web post or in the first pages of our print issue. When we make corrections to a post online, we mark the date and time, and identify the incorrect information in the original post.
We welcome corrections and clarifications from our readers, and will print or post them as soon as they are verified. To report a correction or clarification, please email news@thegabber.com.
Ethics
Integrity matters. The Gabber Newspaper acts with integrity, in print and across our digital platforms, as we gather and report news to the community.
We will never knowingly circulate false information or rumors, violate public trust, or the confidence of our sources. We strive to identify all sources, and to be transparent in our collection of facts and assets. We do not tolerate plagiarism and all material gets proper citation.
If we get it wrong, we will verify, correct, and inform our readers as swiftly as possible. The Gabber does not engage in quid pro quo. We do not report in return for advertising or any other leverage or compensation. All paid content in the Gabber will be identifiable as advertisement, or clearly marked as such.
Ownership and Funding
The Gabber Newspaper is part of Thursday Morning Media, Inc., a for-profit Florida corporation wholly owned by Cathy Salustri Loper and Barry Loper. Thursday Morning Media receives the bulk of its funding from The Gabber Newspaper advertisers, although readers have made donations and loans to secure the paper’s future in the community. Owners in no way allow funding or investors to dictate editorial decisions.
Gabber Editorial Team
Cathy Salustri Loper, Publisher & Editor
Abby Baker, Events, Arts & Features
Monroe Roark, News & Politics
Mike Sunnucks, Courts, Cops & Crime
Brian Shea, Theater
Amanda Hagood, Books & Environment
Jim Schnur, History
Jon Kile, Columnist
Resie Waechter, Outdoors & Fitness
