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With the recent blanket closure of almost all of Newscorp’s regional daily and community title print editions throughout Queensland and New South Wales, the void it has left since has been filled with an echo of despair from the thousands of readers who still crave the traditional, tactile approach when it comes digesting their local news. In response to the many communities’ concerns about the lack of newsprint in their hometowns and regions, this new weekly masthead is one of many that have recently been in overdrive preparing to answer that call, seizing the opportunity that has opened up when it comes to bringing a fresh and independent approach to newspaper publishing. In almost a revolt against corporatestyle news production, small family or community-owned operators willing to give it a go have been welcomed with open arms, not only by the grieving print readers but also the locally-owned businesses who relied on their local newspaper to keep their hometown
informed about their operations too. The groundswell of support being shown by small business and local government sectors is why free weekly newspapers like The Northern Rivers Times are able to rise to the occasion and keep communities informed from a grassroots level about what’s important to them. It is a travesty that many of the print editions lost in the recent corporate bloodbath began as independent voices back when your great, great grandparents look to them for their news, but the new mastheads on the block are endeavouring to pick up where it all began. The interest in these bespoke, independently-owned newspapers doesn’t stop at a local level as other like-minded organisations from around the world watch with Australia with interest, as the world’s media organisations jostle to find a business model that works within the print and digital landscapes. While the amputation of so many print
editions at once can be put down to a steady decline in sales and the impact of COVID-19, the two compounding factors could also be the reason the communities weren’t quite ready to let it go without making a noise. The renewed faith in print products as demonstrated by angry readers and the outpouring of support from small business comes at a time when communities have needed each other more than ever. People have been missing their communities. They have a new appreciation for family and the sentimentality that comes from small town life. Having the familiar presence of their local newspaper vanish from that equation almost overnight did not sit well with them. Time will tell but at the moment, a printed local newspaper is a presence our communities not only need but also demand. OPINION By Lesley Apps
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