ĖľH Ė ڂ Ŵż^ƉƉյ Despite changing technology, community newspapers are today more important than ever
local journalism and its attendant risks for local democracy were cause for concern before COVID-19 came along: Although 121 local news operations have launched since the 2008 recession, more than 300 newspapers, online sites and broadcast outlets shut down in 214 communities over the same period, according to data from the Local News Map run by the Local News Research Project at Ryerson University’s School of Journalism and collaborators at the University of British Columbia. Layoffs have ravaged many of the surviving newsrooms,” wrote April Lindgren.
“Twenty-five years ago, no one could have predicted all of the technological changes that were coming down the pike for the newspaper industry. We certainly didn’t know what to expect, but we’ve done our best to keep local news the priority through all the changes,” said Merlihan of The Observer’s experience.
That’s a sentiment reflected by long-running columnists Owen Roberts and Steve Galea, whose words have been found in these pages for much of the paper’s existence.
“Independent journalism is holding up not because of advertising revenues (obviously), but rather because its readers find its contents tops for dependability and pertinence,” said Roberts.
“Watching the Observer’s editorial scope grow over the past 25 years has been fascinating. At about the same time it was being launched, the Internet arrived. That gave news consumers ready access to a plethora of world news and views that were once hard to access. Today, I see much more emphasis in the Observer about how global events, including those I cover in agriculture and food, affect us locally.
“Still, the Observer remains the go-to source for conventional local news.”
That’s a view shared by Galea, who has his firsthand experience with local newspapers, along with his weekly humour column.
“I have worked in independent community newspapers for more than 20 years and, though they are under a greater amount of pressure, I feel they are more valuable and needed than ever. More than that, they are worthy of your support,” said Galea. “Who else is going take the time to learn about our communities and the very specific issues and growing pains they face? What other source of media has that in-depth historical knowledge your community newspaper has worked so hard to accumulate? A community newspaper, from its choice of features, news coverage and even columnists like me, provides the truest reflection of the people it serves.”