I will try not to make this a “You kids, get off my lawn!” kind of post.
I know newspapers are not completely gone, and there may be a few newspapers in North America finding ways to make it still work with paper copy in a digital world, I often get nostalgic for how things used to be. This thinking is front of mind this week with the final community newspaper in my hometown, The Richmond News announcing it is discontinuing its once-a-week print edition this week. Publisher Alan Chow announced this past week:
It’s with a sense of pride for our past accomplishments but also a keen eye to the future that we have made the decision to stop our print edition, with next week’s Richmond News to be the last to roll off the presses.
I feel a particular connection with the Richmond News. For three years, at the beginning of the century, I had the honour of writing a weekly column. The editor at the time, Dixon Tam, gave me the wonderful opportunity, and the freedom to write about almost anything I wanted. I wrote a lot about education, but also about local government, social issues and human interest stories. While I didn’t get rich at $35 a column, and this wage probably worked out to about $3 an hour considering the work I would put into each 500 word piece, it was one of the best experiences of my life. The Culture of Yes would not exist, if “Kennedy’s Corner” wasn’t a thing in the Richmond News. One quite naturally led to the other. It was actually one of the best work experiences of my life. I had to keep a deadline, do research, was held accountable and develop a thick skin – some of the fax responses to what I wrote were harsh!
I have written before about the loss of local media. In July of 2015, the Richmond Review closed its doors. At that time, I said:
Community newspapers don’t get enough credit for the important role they play with our school system. They are so often our storytellers. They tell the narratives of our kids, our teams, our musicals, our art shows, our academic success and our commitment to service. They also keep us honest and tell our stories of controversies like bus service changes or school closures , budget decisions and staff misbehaviours. Community newspapers connect schools to the community.
If anything, eight years later, I feel more strongly about this. School districts can tell their stories, but they should not be the only ones telling the stories. I know this should be my inside voice, but we tell the stories we want to tell. And it is not as though social media fills in the gaps – likewise, people will share their specific perspective on individual issues and so much will be lost. Newspapers make school systems more accountable, but this in turn also makes them more trusted. It is not just us telling you our story.
So, just why should you care that there is such little local news coverage if you are a student, teacher, parent or superintendent?
- The lack of local coverage limits what the community can learn about educational developments in the community. From new programs to changes in reporting, this education is left to the schools.
- There is a communication gap. While schools can communicate with their parents, community papers communicate more broadly. Events, initiatives, and updates will fall into the “I wish more people knew” hole.
- Local papers highlight accomplishments, so the loss of papers mean fewer student achievements are being broadly recognized. It is one less opportunity for public recognition, which can impact improved morale and motivation within the school community.
- Community newspapers often provide a platform for public engagement, allowing community members to express their opinions, concerns, and feedback. The loss means there is one less channel for schools and schools systems to get a sense for how they are doing. And more broadly, this change is a reduction in civic engagement including topics related to education and the broader public may be less informed about educational policies and decisions that impact the community.
- Local newspapers contribute to transparency and accountability by reporting on school board decisions, educational policies, and other matters that affect the community. All school jurisdictions strive for openness, and in some is usually framed as a core value, local media helps ensure we live up to this commitment.
- Local newspapers serve as a historical record, documenting the milestones and events in a community, including its schools. The closure of these newspapers can result in a loss of this historical record, making it challenging to preserve and share the rich history of local education. I wonder even 20 years from now, where people will look for the history of school systems. In an era where “everything is on the internet” there are often fewer organized places where we can find a thoughtful history.
I still subscribe to two daily newspapers. I love taking time to read them. And I love what they symbolize. I know in part, they represent an era that is almost in the past.
In another part of Chow’s letter to the community this week, he said:
The news side won’t change, it’s just our delivery side that is seeing a transformation.
Instead of delivering a printed copy of the News to your doorstep once a week, we are delivering Richmond stories to Richmond readers — and readers around the world — every day, 24/7, on our website.
Maybe.
I believe so strongly in the power of change, and the promise of our increasingly digital world. But I choose to be sad with this change. Maybe it is nostalgia. Maybe, it is my belief that more community media would help schools be more trusted. Maybe, I don’t see examples of legacy print media moving very successfully to a digital world. Maybe, I am not as good at change as I think.
Thanks to Dixon Tam, then the editor of the Richmond News for giving me a chance to become a better writer by printing my column each week for tens of thousands of people to read. Thanks to all the reporters, in particular Mark Booth, who have covered the community so well. And continued success to those community newspapers that still exist like the North Shore News – in the community I work.
For more on this, I also wrote a post a couple years ago, The Importance of Telling the Stories of High School Sports, that, along with my 2015 post, I think are good companion pieces.
