I pledge to give voice to regions

YESTERDAY was one of the hardest days of my 22-year career as a journalist.

I had to oversee the closing down of three regional newspapers.

Newspapers that have served their communities extremely well over many generations.

It was with great sadness News Corp announced the closure of the Burdekin Advocate in the south, the Northern Miner out west and the Herbert River Express up north.

These regions will no longer have a physical newspaper to serve them.

The news is even worse in regional Queensland, with nearly every masthead from Townsville to Brisbane also stopping print editions.

Among those titles are The Gympie Times, the Bundaberg Newsmail and the Sunshine Coast Daily. Three titles I have edited and ones, like the Townsville Bulletin, that have fought for their regions to make their communities a better place to live.

Many of my former colleagues have lost their jobs to allow their mastheads to forge on in a digital world.

The good news is Townsville has kept its daily newspaper and we have managed to keep journalists on the ground in the regional towns that have lost their newspapers.

They will be the community champions responsible for bringing the issues of the regions to the fore.

Their stories will be uploaded on special regional sections of the Townsville Bulletin website and printed in the newspaper.

While it’s not the same as having specially produced papers for those areas I, as Townsville Bulletin editor, promise to stand up for and voice the concerns of our regional communities.

Digital journalism is the future, our subscriptions have been growing at an exceptional rate but I can understand the concern about not having a paper dropped on the front lawn. But for journalism to survive we need people to pay for it. Buy a subscription, paper and if you can, advertise.