Truth.
In this day and age, the definition of that five-letter word is highly debated, and often manipulated, in an effort to support a person’s beliefs on an issue or topic.
Some will define truth as what experts tell them, others will say the truth is what they are told by a particular person, and others will say that the words they speak are the truth because they spoke them.
As the old saying goes, “if you hear the same story from two different people, the truth lies somewhere in the middle.”
In a functioning democracy, the newspaper is “the middle.”
At its best, newspapers look at all issues the same. Journalists will talk to both sides of an issue, and experts when necessary, and attempt to gain all viewpoints on a particular issue to inform readers of the issue in question.
Our job is to be neutral, to provide the reader with information from various viewpoints in order to make an informed and educated decision.
Sometimes that information may not be what you want to read, and other times it may reinforce what you already know. That is the beautiful thing about newspaper journalism – its ability to inform and educate.
We live in a time where there is a plethora of ways to learn and research an issue, however few do as good a job as a newspaper in presenting the facts, especially when it comes to local issues.
Newspapers are able to do a deep dive into a subject when other media forms can give you a soundbite or video clip. We can present images and graphs that can be studied, whereas audio and video can only do so much.
YouTube videos, online blogs and audio clippings can be easily edited. Newspapers cannot.
The three paid subscription newspapers under the Midwestern Newspapers banner have a combined 468 years of history behind them, with dozens of awards presented to us over those years for our work in local journalism.
Over the past 150-plus years at each of our newspapers, we have developed a reputation for reporting the truth.
Are the online blogs, TV and radio stations at town hall reporting on every council meeting? No.
Are the online blogs, TV and radio stations at community events every weekend? Sometimes.
Are the online blogs, TV and radio stations at the ball diamond, soccer pitch and hockey rink covering local sports? No.
We are, because we are local.
While the other forms of local journalism may be convenient, are they as good as the newspaper?
I would argue they aren’t.
Studies show that nine in 10 Canadians read a newspaper each week, either in print or digitally.
Why? Because Canadians are hungry for news that they can rely on – they want the truth – and trust their local newspaper.
Despite the challenges that face newspapers today, we will continue to be a trusted source of local news that is brought to you by local people – people who live in our community and are proud of it.
I am proud to have a small role in bringing you the paper each week, and I look forward to continuing bringing you trusted, truthful, local news for many years to come.
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Mike Wilson is the editor of Midwestern Newspapers. Comments and feedback are welcome at mwilson@midwesternnewspapers.com.
