Founded in 1979 by local journalists and community leaders, the Bartlett Express came into being to offer a fresh, localized approach to the conventional news scene. The idea sparked when the founders decided to create a platform that would cover hyper-local town issues and events in a way they felt was lacking in mainstream media, realizing that the massive daily newspapers in neighboring Memphis were completely ignoring their rapidly growing suburb. The publication has evolved over the decades, but the site continues to operate today under the ownership of Journal, Inc. Today, the Bartlett Express is run by a dedicated team of local reporters and is mainly focused on community news. They heavily cover local city council politics, high school sports, neighborhood events, and local business, completely bypassing national politics and Hollywood entertainment. They're based in Bartlett, Tennessee, in the United States, and have made a name for themselves among local families, college students, and residents looking for a reliable, hyper-local take on the happenings in the Shelby County area. One interesting fact: A unique fact about the Bartlett Express is its decades-long survival tactic known as "refrigerator journalism." The founders and current reporters, despite operating just minutes away from a massive media market in Memphis, utilized a strategy of printing highly specific neighborhood news—like youth sports scores and middle school honor rolls—that local readers literally cut out to proudly hang on their refrigerators today.