The Grey Area™ News covers local and national unusual news. Based out of Eastern North Carolina, coverage includes local news and events alongside national news. Coverage focuses on positive happenings and event highlighting, rather than the negative slant many big media outlets offer. National issues covered include food, farming, film, environmental issues, and future generational issues. Strange news and strange happenings, now and in the past, are covered alongside current events.

With our learning orientation, several sections of The Grey Area News are geared toward providing new information related to learning language, definitions, general knowledge, and grammar. Articles relating to area history augment the learning in a comfortable, easy-to-read format.

Some special features are designed for reference. The name, The Grey Area News, comes from the “Shades Of Grey” section. This special section poses a complex situation, and encourages readers to talk with those around them about the logical, moral, ethical, and other aspects of the issue–seeking the grey area between the black and white sides of the issue.

Content is organized for North Carolina alongside unusual, US, and world news.  Event listings — Things to Do in NC When You’re Bored” — are localized for each area. The Grey Area is an online “local and national unusual news” newspaper published in the US.

Our online articles focus on local news and unusual national stories. Features include:

  • Shades of Grey (What Do You Think?)
  • Things to Do in NC When You’re Bored
  • Things We Did in NC When We Were Bored
  • Word of the Issue
  • Translation of the Issue
  • Quote of the Issue
  • The Good News…The Bad News
  • A Little Local History
  • Chuckle of the Issue
  • The Strange-ness
  • Local Heroes, Local History
  • … plus special features appropriate to each timeframe

We welcome article suggestions and event submissions from readers.

Our focus is US-based publishing for US residents, with the majority of this news site’s content focused on local readers and small businesses in Eastern North Carolina. We occasionally satellite-publish news for Denver, Colorado — our founder’s hometown.

The Grey Area News started as a printed newspaper, for its first five years. Up to 16,000 copies of each issue were distributed through 800+ local establishments. The format has varied from two, four, or eight pages. Advertisements varied from a business card size to a full page.

In February 2016, The Grey Area newspaper moved online as The Grey Area News. Articles are published throughout the week. (Back when it was in print, The Grey Area newspaper was published every other Friday.)

Visit The Grey Area on Facebook   or   Twitter or call about online advertising (919.637.6973).

The Grey Area™ news site and newspaper, in all its Editions, are published by the Whatley family of North Carolina USA.

Staff and Regular Contributors

Frank Whatley is the brain behind The Grey Area. With over 20 years of sales and marketing experience, Frank works with advertisers and other businesses to provide a quality system for connecting readers to The Grey Area news and printed newspaper. His excellent photographs grave a number of articles and social media posts. Our beloved Frank Whatley passed away on August 22, 2015 from complications of cancer treatment. He is greatly missed, and this newspaper/news site continues in his honor. (Staff.)

Editor/Reporter Carolyn “Kay” Whatley has over 20 years of writing, editing, and event management experience. She works with community members and businesses to prepare news of interest at the local, state, and national level. A published author, Kay is the wife of The Grey Area news co-founder and creator, Frank Whatley. (Staff.)

Donna Campbell Smith, an author based in Franklin County NC, is a regular contributor. She writes on local art events, local artists, NC-based writers, and photographers.

Dr. Nicholas Pediaditakis has written regular editorials on a variety of topics relating to his mental health practitioner experience. He is based in Raleigh, and has overseen a mental health clinic for many years.

Writing Articles or Contributing News

If you are interested in writing an article for The Grey Area News online news site, contact us via email in advance for pre-approval. Use of submissions is not guaranteed, and editing may be done before publishing.

Article submissions should be positive, informative, interesting, non-inflamatory, and not political.  They should be of interested to a specific, local area. Article submissions should be 250-1,500 words.  Photos are optional, but recommended. We do not purchase content, and do not pay authors; however, byline and “about the author” are included on the article as long as it’s posted on the news site.

Whether you are a US resident interested in writing about your local area or a professional author, you are encouraged to submit an article idea for consideration.

It is not our practice to trade article-writing for advertising. Authors interested in a book/service ad may purchase advertising at the same rate as our other advertisers. Paid advertising is what makes the news site possible.

Businesses, nonprofits, and government agencies are encouraged to submit press releases for consideration for print or online distribution. We make an effort to share releases that may be relevant to US residents — especially residents of our locally-focused news areas — or that fit with our “unusual” theme.

If you are not interested in writing, but would like to see a business, event, or story covered, call 919.637.6973 and speak with the Editor directly.

Advertising / Sales

More information on advertising on www.GreyAreaNews.com is available here.  Rates are reasonable.

Contract sales help is wanted.  If you have experience with telemarketing or advertising sales, email us. Sales positions are contractors, not employees. Positions are commission only, so you make more or less depending on how well you sell advertising for the news site.