The Budget - Online Budget

The Budget is an American weekly newspaper published in Ohio for and by members of the Amish, Amish Mennonite, Beachy Amish, and Mennonite communities. The Budget began publishing in 1890. Currently, The Budget is published in two editions: a local edition and a national edition, each with different content and readership.

History

The founder and first editor of The Budget from 1890 though 1913 was Amish Mennonite John C. Miller, who was nicknamed "Budget John". Amish Mennonite minister Samuel H. Miller was the second editor through 1920. He was followed by S.A. Smith until 1930, when Smith's son George R. Smith took over until 1969. Serving as editor for nearly 40 years, and continuing as associate editor even after that, George R. Smith contributed greatly to shaping The Budget into what it is today.

The current publisher since 2000 is Keith Rathbun, formerly of the Cleveland Scene alternative weekly. Rathbun gave The Budget its first online exposure in the form of an official website, a move which surprised some of the readership and generated some mainstream media attention due to the apparent logical contradiction of an Amish website.

Local edition

The local edition focuses on stories of local interest in several Ohio counties, and includes several pages of non-Amish-specific content. It is the most-read newspaper in its area including Holmes County as well as parts of Tuscarawas, Wayne and Coshocton counties.

National edition

Despite its name, the national edition is published not only nationwide but in several other countries in the Americas as well as overseas.

References

• Feran, Tom (November 25, 2005). "Horse-and-buggy meets superhighway". The Plain Dealer. 
• Nolt, Steven M. (2004). A History of the Amish. Intercourse, PA: Good Books. ISBN 1-56148-393-1. 
• Reinagel, Eric (January 3, 2006). "Amish newspaper goes online". The Meadville Tribune. 
• Yoder, Elmer S. (1990). I Saw It in the Budget. Hartville, OH: Diakonia Ministries. ISBN 1-878688-00-6. 
• Koch, Christoph (June 27, 2009). "Lasst uns William Kempf aufheitern". Süddeutsche Zeitung. 

External links

• Facebook Page
• Official website
• Brief history and chronicle of editors 1890-1969
• Budget, The (Periodical) at Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online