On Monday, August 19, at the Habersham County Commission meeting, there was a vacant seat at the media table. It is the chair where The Northeast Georgian’s executive editor would sit with a camera in hand, a pen, and a notepad for taking it all in. A single white rose replaced the vibrant reporter who served our local community for over four years.
“In addition to missing two of our commissioners tonight, we are missing another regular member of our group here on meeting nights and one that I have grown to become friends with over the years, and that would be Matthew Osborne,” said Habersham County Commission Chair Ty Akins.
He joked that Osborne had gotten him into, as Akins described it, “the pigskin-picking thing,” and they enjoyed talking football.
Akins read aloud a tribute from the county commission:
“A local newspaper editor is at the heart of the newsroom and in the heart of the community.
An editor knows his community and its expectations of accuracy, fairness, completeness, impartiality, balance, and respect while being dedicated to learning and reporting the truth to the best of his or her ability.
A good editor knows who to call at any hour of the day or night to get the scoop but also knows when that after-hours call is warranted.
An excellent editor knows to get the dog’s name for the story, to listen to a seemingly endless recounting to find that one tidbit, that information, that makes a story unforgettable, and that spelling a person’s name is paramount to earning trust.
As we sit here in this room tonight, there is an empty chair right up here at the front.
A familiar face is missing, and we, as a commission and as a community, are hurting.
Matthew Osborne, the executive editor of The Northeast Georgian, passed away Tuesday, August 13.
Matthew was one of our trusted local media partners, serving our county’s legal organ for the past several years.
But it’s important to understand that Matthew and his team, while working as a partner to publish information on the county’s behalf, maintained the newspaper’s independence and impartiality, sometimes writing difficult editorials directed at our community’s government bodies and representatives.
Tonight, as difficult as it is, we acknowledge that Matthew Osborne has put down his pen for the last time.
We send loving thoughts and prayers to his family, co-workers, and the community he loved and dedicated himself to covering.”
Osborne was a professional journalist with 25 years of experience. He started in 1999 as a sportswriter at the Lake City Reporter in Florida. He worked at newspapers in North Carolina and New Jersey before joining The Northeast Georgian in 2019.
He leaves behind his wife, Samantha, and three sons.
Memorial services are scheduled for 2 p.m. Friday, September 6, at the chapel of Barrett Funeral Home in Cleveland, Georgia.
