This week is National Newspaper Week and it celebrates our communities, the Observer and our readers.
People who work at local newspapers are proud of their communities and those who live in them. Newspaper employees also take pride in the service they provide, and happily support many community events through promotions, coverage and volunteer manpower. A particular point of pride for us this week is the Observer’s nomination for the Chamber of Commerce Community Spirit Award. We thank our nominator for putting us in the running for this award, and look forward to celebrating whoever wins on Oct. 27 at the Business Excellence Awards 2018.
National Newspaper Week is a time to celebrate the role of the Observer and other like-minded community newspapers in B.C. It also serves as a reminder for those of us in the profession that what we do on a daily basis has a huge impact on the health of our communities. We write the stories and take the photos of our community members’ successes, lifestyles, needs and what they do to make their areas better.
Community newspapers do two simple – but very important – things for residents. They chronicle the history of the community in a fair and accurate manner, so people can go back in time to find historical information. Community newspapers also supply the “fridge art” for the community – the photos that are cut out of the Observer and put on the refrigerator door for a while. Then readers place them in a special box that will play an integral role in a graduation or wedding album years down the road.
Simply stated, community newspapers print all of the important news about their residents, including the births, deaths, crime, good news, as well as the trials and tribulations of life. These stories are neither statistical nor impersonal, as one might find in big media reports; no, these are stories about our friends and neighbours. We’re very proud of these stories and photos, because they are something other larger media outlets cannot, or will not, do because they have lost touch with the grassroots of our society – the little folks with the big hearts who make their communities tick.
National Newspaper Week also gives us an opportunity to clear away rumours that community newspapers are on their way out. In a nutshell – that just isn’t the case.
The Observer started in 1908 and it has been going strong ever since. It will continue to be your source of community news information from many years to come.
There are a lot of good reasons community newspapers have been able to withstand the glory years of radio, then television and the recent growth of social media. As times change, so have our delivery methods, with more content now available online. But one thing that hasn’t changed is that the print product is a tangible record of our community’s existence.
So thank you, readers, for your dedication to us. We will continue to do our best to make sure you, and the wider community, is reflected in our pages and on our website.
-Black Press