Ross Howard, a Langara College journalism instructor and former reporter for Globe and Mail and Toronto Star, appeared on CBC television Tuesday saying the city of Vancouver will likely always have a daily newspaper, but none of us should be surprised to see CanWest fold the Vancouver Sun and The Province into a single news service due to challenging economic times.
Newspapers in the United States, some of them with over 100 years in publication, are putting out their final editions. Other papers are switching to an entirely on-line model. Even the mighty New York Times' future is looking greyer than its pages.
There are a number of reasons for print media's tenuous position. The recession has meant companies are scaling back ads, causing the size of papers to shrink. Possibly more important, we in the print media are still trying to figure out our place alongside the Internet.
The Internet is an invaluable tool in this day and age, but it has taught us to take everything we can get for free and to take it all for granted - music, movies, information and news included.
While the publishers and editors search for that working formula, newspapers continue to fail, and it presents a frightening situation.What will happen to the beautifully written features that enlighten us on topics we might never have known about? What will happen to pointed editorials that encourage us to think and stimulate discussion? What will happen to the investigative journalism that exposes truths that were not readily available in a press release?
If it is no longer profitable to report and package information for the masses, does that mean there is no longer a value in news itself?Of course not, but we have to ask ourselves what is at stake.
Citizens in a free and democratic society have an inherent right to know the actions of their elected officials, their law enforcement agents and courts and what is going on in their community. Sure, government meetings are open to the public and much of the content spoken of at those meetings is made available on-line, but the fact remains, there is no more convenient or efficient a resource for people than having committed local reporters willing to research and develop a story.
Indeed, many reporters turn down the chance to go into a more secure and lucrative career in public relations because of that lofty yet simple ideal.
With a global recession, pivotal changes in world politics, and governments at every level scrambling to keep the lights on, it has never been more important for us to keep a watchful eye.
All of the above presents a dire and distasteful situation, but there is cause for great optimism. Though we face challenges in the community newspaper business, we are still in good standing. We offer local coverage the larger media sources have no interest or resources for. We will continue to be here through elections, budgets, trials and tournaments.
Always a local resource and a community watchdog, the Coast Reporter will be there.
