FITSNews

FITSNews founder Will Folks worked as a campaign staffer and spokesman for Republican Gov. Mark Sanford until 2005.[1][2] Folks announced he was reviving his political consulting company Viewpolitik in 2005 and founded FITSNews in 2006.[3] Folks has been called by The State the "bad boy of South Carolina journalism" and a "Palmetto State politico with a reputation as a hell raiser" by The Guardian.[4][5] The Columbia Journalism Review called FITSNews a "conservative-libertarian website covering politics," and The New York Times said it is a "jarring mix of political scoops ... and photos of scantily clad women accompanied by off-color remarks."[6]

In 2010, as South Carolina state Rep. Nikki Haley campaigned in a Republican primary for governor, Folks published a series of blog posts claiming that Haley had engaged in an extramarital affair with him. Haley denied the allegations.[7][8] Politico magazine compared the episode to the Bill Clinton sex scandal of the 1990s.[9]

In 2017 FITSNews was sued for libel by former South Carolina legislator Kenny Bingham over a story it published which cited anonymous sources alleging ethics violations by Bingham.[10] After Folks refused to reveal the site's sources for the story, Bingham's attorney sought to have him held in contempt of court.[11] The South Carolina Press Association supported FITSNews' defense against the potential contempt citation, which judge William P. Keesley declined to impose. A jury ultimately ruled in favor of Bingham, and imposed nominal damages of $1 on FITSNews.[12]

"FITS" in the site's name, FITSNews, stands for "Faith in the Sound".[13]

FITSNews covers news and events in South Carolina. The Columbia Journalism Review has described it as "a must-read for Palmetto State politicos".[14] In 2010, FITSNews was named to The Washington Post's list of the "best state political blogs" in the country.[15] Some readers may find FITSnews to be biased in their reporting. Media Bias Fact Check lists FITSnews to be of medium credibility.