We take pride in the community we serve

WHENEVER a major story breaks in our city and district – such as the current woodchip inferno - national media swarms to the scene, and rightly so.

The scale of the tragedy demands a large audience, both in terms of news value, but also as the ripples of repercussion may be widespread.

They are keen to get ‘live’ footage and naturally engage with the political leadership as well as other important stakeholders, and they are generally well resourced both in terms of experienced journalists and with regard to the tools of the trade.

But they inevitably leave after a few days, with the next breaking story waiting impatiently in the wings, elsewhere in the country.

Especially in this social media day and age, ‘news’ gets stale very quickly, and the story gets relegated to minor mention in subsequent broadcasts.

That’s not a weakness; it is merely the nature of, especially, a visual medium.

Compare this with a local news entity, such as the

Zululand Observer, for which this is not a story about ‘a place on the north coast of KZN’, but our home, and that of our readers and advertisers.

Many of us drive daily past the woodchip stacks, and we know by sight nearby industries such as Foskor and South32.

Furthermore, places like Arboretum Extension, where homes were threatened, was not to us an unknown suburb. In fact, many of us live there and experienced first-hand the terrifying prospect of homes going up in flames.

Many of our family members and friends work at the woodchip mills or adjacent businesses, and so for us the potential of ‘jobs at risk’ meant people and families we know by name losing their source of income.

Our neighbours are the managers, admin staff, and blue collar workers who populate these companies.

What we are saying, is that for us this is not merely news or a great story. It is extremely personal.

This was our city at risk, and while the TV cameras might have revelled in the spectacle of huge flames and dense plumes of smoke, for residents it was a scene of heartache and fear.

This is not to say that newsmongers are insensitive and did not appreciate the distress caused by the unfolding tragedy but, to use an analogy, the death of a stranger carries less impact and meaning than the death of a loved one.

When the visiting media has left the area – and it won’t be long from now – we will still be here to share and hear the personal stories of our residents, including those who physically fought the fire, those who cared for their welfare through food and donations, and those who lifted them and the companies up in prayer.

Strangers can tell the big picture, for sure, but only local residents can feel the whole story.

That’s why we are proud to be called a community newspaper, serving a close-knit, concerned community that will keep caring when the headlines have faded.