[1] The Citizen was launched in March 2007 by the publisher Robert Dickson, whose family also owns and operates the Raeford News-Journal in Hoke County, North Carolina, and Kirk Ross, who was the Citizen's editor until May 2011.

The paper won several North Carolina Press Association awards for excellence in journalism, photography and design.

[2] The Carrboro Citizen also published Mill, a monthly tabloid covering the arts, music and dining scene of the Carrboro/Chapel Hill area.

Alderwoman Jacqueline Gist said that the loan was a good idea because "The Citizen is an integral part of our community, and the only newspaper that provides local coverage."

She is a graduate of the UNC School of Journalism and has worked as a staff writer for the paper for several years.