As we reach our 5 month mark as a registered LLC in the great state of North Carolina, the ongoing question that we have to answer is – why The Wilmington Conservative?  Why do we endeavor to be the place that conservative-minded folks in New Hanover county go to get good opinions from the right? What sets us apart?

Conservative Not Reactionary

Being a conservative means not reacting to everything that comes along on social media, the news, or community events.  For example, on May 2, 2025 an inquiry to Grok about conservatives amplifying false news brought this result:

• Claim: A fake article, styled to look like it was from The Telegraph, claimed the UK government planned to send far-right rioters to “emergency detainment camps” in the Falklands. This was retweeted by Elon Musk on X, reaching nearly two million people.
• Spread: Far-right accounts and influencers, including those aligned with figures like Tommy Robinson, shared the article widely, framing it as evidence of government overreach. The post gained traction among conservative X users in the UK and beyond.
• Fact-Check: The article was entirely fabricated, with no basis in reality. The Guardian and other outlets confirmed it was a hoax, and The Telegraph issued a statement clarifying it did not publish the story.
• Impact: The misinformation stoked fear and outrage among far-right communities, contributing to distrust in UK institutions and amplifying far-right narratives about free speech and government control.

If Elon Musk – and other conservatives – had stopped for just one moment to think that one through, they would have realized the utter nonsense of the idea.  If they had checked sources, they would have realized it was fake.  Instead of being reactionary, they could have used that moment as a teaching tool to help conservatives find their way in a global digital news market that needs to always be checked for accuracy.  But they reacted without thinking, and paid the price in credibility.

The Wilmington Conservative will always check our facts and give you sources.  We will also take the time to wait and see what the actual story might be.  In the military, it is a given fact that the first account of any battle is always the wrong one.  The same holds true for us.  We will never attempt to bring you something “hot off the press” that we have to retract later because it turns out to be not true.  While we will always analyze the news from a conservative stance, we would rather be later in the story cycle and be right than first and be completely wrong and – worse – spreading information that does not help the conservative cause.

Conservative But Living In Reality

Conservatives have a lot to be worried about.  From the 17^th Amendment that turned dangerously threatens to turn our Republic into a Democracy to out of control spending to a judiciary that does not seem to respect separation of powers, there can be no doubt that our Founding Fathers would find a lot of areas of our modern day country unrecognizable.

As much as conservatives want to restore the country to a more recognizable nation, we must always do so realizing that we live in the real world where such resets may take a great deal of time – if they take place at all.  Yet some conservatives think it is their sole duty to  push a conservative agenda, even at the cost of good governing,

No better example exists than that of Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) in 2023 pushing to replace Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) as Speaker of the House, simply because the Californian was not conservative enough:

Conservatives have threatened to oust McCarthy over relying on Democratic votes, as he did Saturday to advance legislation staving off a government shutdown. Gaetz also cited the possibility of the House holding votes on sending aid to Ukraine as another reason to oust him.

“Members of the Republican Party might vote differently on a motion to vacate if they heard what the speaker had to share with us about his secret side deal with Joe Biden on Ukraine. I’ll be listening,” he said in closing. “Stay tuned.” (CNN)

The fact of the matter is that McCarthy had a razer thin majority in the House, a Democrat Senate, and a  hostile President.  He knew that the only thing a true-red conservative bill would do would be to shut down the government – which never works for Republicans.  Yet Gaetz and other conservative purists could not – or would not – see that reality. 

 It is ironic that Rep. Gaetz and his contemporary counterparts Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) and Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) will often vote with Democrats in order to protest from a conservative platform.  In the end, their blocking movements actually do nothing for the cause of conservatism and does everything to empower Democrats. 

Reality is not going anywhere soon.  Conservatives need to first win hearts and minds of the people of this country with practical laws and reforms, win larger majorities as a result, and then go about changing the culture of government by resetting to constitutional mindsets.  Doing that in reverse will only result in failure.

We here at The Wilmington Conservative will always push for a conservative ideal, but we will also push for that ideal in the real, practical world.  We will always set the standard, but also understand that good governing -  even if not perfectly conservative – is itself a standard in the conservative mindset.

Freedom Within A Christian Worldview

John Winthrop, in a message to a group of colonists that referenced Matthew 5:14 proclaimed:

For we must consider that we shall be as a city upon a hill. The eyes of all people are upon us. So that if we shall deal falsely with our God in this work we have undertaken, and so cause him to withdraw his present help from us, we shall be made a story and a by-word through the world. (Teaching American History)

When we are at our best, our country stands as a light to the world.  We are indeed the example of freedom, of individual responsibility, the power of families, and the needed centrality of faith.  For most of our history we were seen as place to go and start again, to thrive, and to be the men and women that God intended us to be.

The calls of separation of church and state have caused the second part of Winthrop’s message to come true.  When we get away from the biblical meanings of freedom, when we dismiss personal responsibility, when we insist on our own way instead of seeing the truth in someone else, and when we dismiss others as fools we turn our backs on God and we lose his pleasure.  When we forget that our light comes not from ourselves but our reliance on God in all areas of our lives – politics, governing, education to name a few – than our light will go out and we as a country will be useless.

The Wilmington Conservative is unabashedly Christian.  Our editorial board, our contributors and our supporters are all men and women of deep faith.  None of them will impose their religion on you.  Neither will they shy away from discussing their faith and the absolute importance that God not be separated out from government – as if that was possible in the first place. 

This commitment to honoring God also extends to what we publish, and how we publish it.  While we may be critical of those in government, we will aways do so talking about what they are doing – and not their moral character.  We never accept anonymous pieces for we believe that the inverse of freedom of speech is responsibility – so we expect that our authors stand by every word they say.  We will never publish “hit pieces” just to get clicks.  And we will continue to publish our faith articles – because glorifying God is at the center of all that we do.

So – Why?

That is why we are here.  We believe we have a severe lack of local news and analysis outlets that lean left.  We believe that accountability has gone out of some publications, while others have felt it is their responsibility to create chaos and discontent among Republicans and conservatives.  We know that as a publication we can do better – because we know that New Hanover County and the people of this wonderful part of the state deserve and want better.

That is why.