PAGE 10 Thursday, February 2, 2023 MERIDIAN SOURCE
Viewpoint Leeway from Lloyd:
5921-50 Avenue, Lloydminster, SK S9V 2A4 Phone: 306-825-5111 Toll Free: 1-800-327-3899 Fax: 306-825-5147 meridiansource.ca Mail: Box 2454, Lloydminster, SK S9V 1W5 Hours: 8AM to 5PM Monday to Friday THE MERIDIAN SOURCE is published once a week, on Thursday. All material printed in the Meridian Source is copyright and may not be copied or reproduced without the express permission of the publisher. The Meridian Source reserves the right to refuse publication of any advertising or editorial material at its discretion. Columns and letters are the expressed view of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Meridian Source.
Editor Taylor Weaver taylor@meridiansource.ca
Staff Writer Geoff Lee geoff@meridiansource.ca
Marketing Manager Deanna Wandler deanna@meridiansource.ca
Community newspapers aren’t dodos STAFF WRITER GEOFF LEE
When I graduated with a bachelor of arts degree in journalism from Ryerson Polytechnical Institute in 1976, print journalism was in its heyday on multiple fronts. Two years before that, U.S. President Richard Nixon resigned for his role in ordering the break-in and illegal wiretapping of the Democratic National Committee headquarters in the Washington, D.C., Watergate complex. The plot was uncovered and reported by Washington Post reporters Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward which led to Nixon’s downfall.
Since then, it’s been the turn of print journalism and reporters to take a fall with the rise of digital communications and social media, in terms of timeliness, profitability, influence and job security. Postmedia announced last week it is laying off 11 per cent of its 60 editorial employees in Canada due to rising costs, and declining advertising and circulation revenue. In Alberta, Postmedia is switching 12 of its Alberta community newspapers to digitalonly formats and laying off workers in a bid to manage costs. Personally, though I think digital media is the real dodo bird when it comes to community news coverage in smaller communities
like Lloydminster. There is a lot to be said about printed community newspapers as they, along with ads and content, have a long shelf life to give advertisers and readers a good bang for their buck. The Meridian Source also includes a lot of flyers that shoppers like and you can’t get in digital media or classified ads either. The Source has an online paper too for breaking news or updating stories reported in the print version but it doesn’t hang around your kitchen for repeated reference. When a printed newspaper suddenly goes online, it’s in danger of falling into the out-of-sight, out-of-
mind trap, since you have to know what the website is or you can’t find it. In digital media, you won’t see many community feature stories that thrive in print media. People won’t read them online with so many online distractions and you may need a paid subscription to access all the content. There is less sense of community online too as digital media tends to also cover provincial, national, and international news or links to these stories to look authoritative or complete. Riddle me this: What’s black and white and read all over? Answer: Newspapers. Read us next week, too, for free!
Through the reader’s lens ...
Marketing Consultant Ashley Miazga ashley@meridiansource.ca
Publisher: Reid Keebaugh Production Manager: Amanda Richard CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING admin@meridiansource.ca NEWSPAPER DELIVERY If you’ve missed a paper, to start or stop delivery, or for carrier applications, please call 306-825-5111 for information. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR We welcome letters to the editor. Letters should be 500 words or less. A name and daytime phone number is required for verification. Priority will be given to letters exclusively written for the Meridian Source. We reserve the right to edit letters for clarity, brevity, spelling, grammar, punctuation and libel. Unsigned letters will not be published. Use of pseudonyms will only be allowed in special circumstances, at the discretion of the editor and the publisher, and only if the author’s identity is known to the editor. Publication of a letter does not imply endorsement by the Meridian Source. Send to taylor@meridiansource.ca
Top: Mike from Canmore Submitted to the Meridian Source
Thank you, Mike, for sharing another great photo of your morning walk with us.
Bottom: John Van Cleemput Submitted to the Meridian Source
2017
Thank you, John, for this photo of “Northern Flicker” enjoying their breakfast. If you would like to see your photos in the Meridian Source, please email them to taylor@meridiansource.ca