Editorial: Chain newspapers making old-time publishers spin in their graves

Newspaper ownership by giant corporations with their management methods is making the whole industry look like it is circling the drain.

They might be, but independents are not – so don’t give up on us.

After closing 21 papers last fall, this past week newspaper giant Postmedia announced that it was closing yet another 10 newspapers across Canada including the Camrose Canadian. For me it was shock and awe.

During my first week as a reporter for the Sedgewick Community Press in 1980, then owner Monte Keith took me on a trip to Camrose to meet Canadian owner, the late Chuck McLean.

The one thing that immediately got my attention entering The Canadian was that familiar smell of ink. Every newspaper smelled the same and I loved it. It smelled like hard work . . . honour . . . integrity.

Back in those days, newspapers were mostly owned by people like Chuck and Monte. They were independent, stubborn, community-minded people with a touch of entrepreneurship.

The province and country was full of these newspaper owners, all very much the same. Some owned one newspaper, some branched out and had a handful. But they brought their inflexible principles with them to each and every newsroom.

Read the rest in this week’s paper . . .