Community Papers

Calvin Neufeld | Sep 27, 2023

I appreciated the editorial “Independent Newspapers Outliving the Chains.” It always grieved me to see independent newspapers get snatched up by the chains. Your editorial puts into words what’s been difficult to articulate through the gradual erosion process.

“The company at the centre the closure of the Ontario newspapers, Metroland, saw towns like Perth, Carleton Place, Smiths Falls and 67 other towns, as markets, not communities. The loss of these newspapers, even in their diminished form, is a loss.”

It doesn’t feel that long ago that the Perth Courier was still independent and locally produced. The content was diverse and original. Reporters roamed the streets and came into our homes and schools for interviews. Neighbours and friends worked at the Courier as reporters, columnists, editors. It feels like everything changed so quickly, from the loss of the paper’s independence, to the gradual reduction and watering-down of content, to the ever-growing wad of flyers stuffed inside the afterthought of a newspaper, to where we are today – the end of the era of news on our doorsteps.

My son is 10 years old and has just had his first experience of being laid off. He delivered papers for the Perth Courier until last week when no papers arrived and never will again. We had to learn the reason why in the (online) news. No one notified him that he would no longer be delivering, no one explained, it just ended silently and suddenly. As a parent, I see this as a milestone in his life. He was one of the last paperboys, the last generation of kids to experience what used to be a staple of childhood. We will miss it. Not only was it good exercise and a healthy lesson in responsibility and earning income, it was a way to get to know our neighbours. The folks on their porches, seniors awaiting their crossword, parents encouraging youthful entrepreneurship, friendly and not-so-friendly cats and dogs. No more. The loss of news is also a loss of community and connectedness.

I’m grateful for the hold-outs, the independents that have survived so far. While I no longer live in Frontenac. I still check your website every week for the latest independent and local news.

Calvin Neufeld