What are we going to do about small-town newspapers?
Is it possible that freedom of the press is most abused by the editors of newspapers that might best be deemed small town-ish? I always thought that the Charlottetown Guardian was too prone to irrational inconsistencies. It seldom seemed to do any real research before publishing editorials or even running stories by local reporters. And, anything that can in on the national or international wires was printed without even checking to see if it was either relevant or locally interesting. But it has nothing on the Penticton Herald and its editor James Miller. He has a vast number of horses he likes to ride and seemingly none of them require any research or preparation. He disdains people who go to conferences for professional development reasons – especially if these conferences are held in warm places in the winter. He never addresses real alternatives when the subject of oil transport comes up – like so many others he seems to think that we all can immediately do with out oil. And on the letters to the editor page, it seems there are a few names that are always appearing who trundle the same thread-bare opinions time after time. How do we counter such limited conversation? What is the twenty-first [21st] century’s solution to wholesome community dialogue when the most common vehicle is no longer interested in conversation? Social media haven’t shown themselves to be all that less gossip-prone, and government-owned media have tended to be no less willing to explore all sides in any topic. Suggestions??