Wednesday 27 May 2020

Brunswick News to close community newspaper offices across province

https://twitter.com/DavidRayAmos/with_replies




Replying to @alllibertynews and 49 others
Methinks many folks are just as disgusted at the Fake News as I have been for years but this article takes the cake locally N'esy Pas?



https://davidraymondamos3.blogspot.com/2020/05/httpstwitter.html







https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/nb-brunswick-news-weekly-offices-close-1.5584411


Brunswick News to close community newspaper offices across province

Employees will work from home, says BNI memo


Connell Smith, Gail Harding · CBC News · Posted: May 26, 2020 5:14 PM AT



BNI vice-president Jamie Irving issued the internal memo Monday. (Gabrielle Fahmy/CBC)

Community newspapers across New Brunswick are losing their offices, many of them in the heart of their small cities and towns, after a decision shared with staff this week by Brunswick News Inc.

In an internal memo issued Monday, BNI vice-president Jamie Irving told staff the offices would be closed permanently and employees would work from home.


The offices to close are home to the Kings County Record in Sussex, the Miramichi Leader, the Campbellton Tribune, the Northern Light in Bathurst, the Bugle Observer in Woodstock, and the Victoria Star and Cataracte newspapers in Grand Falls. BNI offices in Richibucto, Edmundston and St. Stephen will also close.

Sussex Mayor Marc Thorne of Sussex called it a "sad day" for every community affected.


Sussex Mayor Marc Thorne: 'I think it's just a terrible thing.' (Gary Moore, CBC)

"I think it's just a terrible thing," Thorne said Tuesday. "BNI may feel that nothing's been lost, that they're still going to cover the communities, but I can promise you that's not the case. If you don't have people living and working in your community and building relationships, you don't have the same quality of paper at all."

The newspaper company will keep the locations of its three daily papers open, although the Telegraph-Journal in Saint John and the Daily Gleaner in Fredericton had already moved from the buildings they'd occupied for decades into less central properties.

The Moncton Times & Transcript, where BNI prints its daily and community newspapers, remains on Main Street.



An internal memo from Brunswick News vice president Jamie Irving advises staff the offices of nine weekly newspapers would close permanently and staff would continue working from home. (CBC)

Emails and calls by CBC News to BNI publisher Mike Powers and editor-in-chief Jackson Doughart were not returned.

As with many businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic, BNI staff have been working from home as a safety measure.

Madeleine Leclerc, the former editor of the Cateracte and Victoria Star, said the writing was on the wall three years ago when she left the company.

The reporters were being pressed to focus less on very local stories and to do more that would be of interest to people around the province who read the Telegraph-Journal.

Fears for local news

"I hope that our weeklies are not going to be forgotten or passed over for the provincial edition," Leclerc said. "That's what I hope. And if they do cover, then it gets printed in the TJ, I hope it's not buried on the back page."

It is not clear from the BNI memo if the weekly papers will continue to produce print editions. Production of the English-language daily and weeklies is already centralized in Saint John.

While the office closures are disappointing news, David Cadogan, former owner of several weeklies, including the Miramchi Leader and Kings County Record, said COVID-19 was likely the last straw for the newspaper chain.

"I'm frankly very, very sad," Cadogan said. "I certainly don't blame Brunswick News. These are just the absolute doomsday times for newspapers."

Pandemic would have worsened problems

Cadogan said the closure of businesses during the pandemic would have hurt  the advertising revenue that helps keep offices open and staff employed.

"It's a terrible, terrible time to be in the newspaper business, so I understand what they are up against and I understand the necessity for what they are doing."

Cadogan said he believes that even this is a just a stop-gap step for the newspapers as people have known them for many years.

"They are essentially on the way out," he said, adding this is happening all across Canada and the United States.

A 'champion' for a community

He believes it is a huge loss for communities, who need a "healthy independent newspaper to champion for the community and stick up for its interests, work its politicians and discover any bad behaviour that's taking place in the government or the public."

"You know the community needs a champion and someone to stick up for the citizens, their readers."
Cadogan questions who will do that when community newspapers close completely.

"If the people will not support a newspaper — advertisers and citizens — they're going. And I'm not blaming the people for that because all the other things working against the newspapers are making it pretty well impossible for them to exist as we knew them."

University of Kings College journalism professor Kim Kierans said newspaper companies have been 'bleeding red ink' from lack of advertising, even more so since the pandemic.

Kierans is glad to hear the BNI memo says reporters will still be working and able to tell their stories in those communities.

She pointed out that Nova Scotia's Saltwire Network of Newspapers went further than BNI, laying off 240 staff for 12 weeks.

But the closing of local newspaper offices, she said, will definitely leave a hole in those communities.
 "The newspaper is the town square," Kierans said. "People drop in. They pick up papers there, they drop off advertising there, and you have a sense of exchange of ideas. People talking to one another."









74 Comments
Commenting is now closed for this story.




David Amos
Methinks many folks are just as disgusted at the Fake News as I have been for years but this article takes the cake locally N'esy Pas?









David Amos
Surprise Surprise Surprise


David Amos
Content disabled
Reply to @David Amos: Trust that I am not surprised

Methinks the Irving Clan, their buddies Premier Higgy, Mayor Marc Thorne and their many cohorts must recall Professor Kim Kierans copying some words the Kings County Record had published about the reasons why I was running in the election of the 38th Parliament them posting her opinion of me in a Halifax newsrag in June of 2004 N'esy Pas?


David Amos
Reply to @David Amos: BINGO



























Dennis Atchison
This is a key reason (amongst many) why I created The Dennis Report in 2013 and carry on with today (see Facebook, Youtube or website). To offer in-depth, authentic and local/provincial stories and conversations on New Brunswick. We have no place to tell and share what is happening in our province, and all the good things we do. Please watch.


David Amos 
Reply to @Dennis Atchison: Yea Right Methinks you should admit to yourself that everybody knows you act only in support of the Fake Left Nesy Pas? 


 























Graeme Duke-Gibbs
The internet killed newspapers. Anyone can be a reporter now. Just film people or things and put them on facebook. Now YOU are a reporter!! This is what the internet was supposed to do, bring democracy to reporting. So get out there people and find interesting stuff and post it.


JoeBrown
Reply to @Graeme Duke-Gibbs: Amateurs post uninteresting or non factual "stuff" because they don't have any training.


David Amos
Reply to @JoeBrown: I strongly disagree 

























Allan J Whitney
Tough time to be in the fake news business.


David Amos 
Reply to @Allan J Whitney: Yup 



























 
Peter demerchant
Its surprising to me people still read the Brunswick News rags. I cancelled my subscription a couple years ago after many years and it was a great move. Nothing more than a daily dose of propaganda and one family's opinion on how nb should look. Imagine if nb ' ers had a objective honest news paper to read each day, we haven't had that in decades.


Ben Haroldson
Reply to @Peter demerchant: Propaganda, unlike on here lol.


JoeBrown
Reply to @Peter demerchant: Subjective claims.


David Amos
Reply to @Peter demerchant: I Wholeheartedly Agree Sir 

























 
Jack Robins
The Federal government should stop subsidizing the racket!

James Risdon
Reply to @Jack Robins: I agree. There should be no bailouts for media companies.


Ben Haroldson
Reply to @James Risdon: Keep this site running though, right? No gov't money in this site lol.


David Amos
Reply to @Ben Haroldson: Good Point 

























 
Jos Allaire
Newspapers are going the way of this old Mac Wiseman song: ♫ ♫ ♫


James Risdon
Reply to @Jos Allaire: I find it odd that you or anyone else would celebrate the loss of jobs and community newspapers in New Brunswick.

What possible reason could you have for being happy about the demise of community newspapers?



Jos Allaire 
Reply to @James Risdon: Just as I feel bad for the blacksmith and the buggy builders before. But you cannot stop progress... although the fossil fuel industry is trying hard to.


David Amos 
Reply to @Jos Allaire: I concur 

























 
James Risdon
I am a fluently-bilingual journalist in Bathurst with more than 25 years of experience as a reporter and editor and I have studied business administration in college.
Any business and community leaders in Bathurst who want to have a home-grown newspaper here to rival what is left of The Northern Light are welcome to contact me and back me financially to open a new community newspaper in our city.
When I first moved to Bathurst back in 2001, The Northern Light had an editorial staff of four and was thicker than the Telegraph-Journal is now. It was also printed right here in Bathurst.
The printing presses were carted away. The Northern Light building was destroyed. The editorial staff was cut and then cut again. Now, even the rented offices of The Northern Light are disappearing.
Do you want a community newspaper in Bathurst? Do you think you deserve one, that Bathurst is big enough and has enough readers and businesses to support one?
If you the answers to those questions is "Yes", then I would be happy to work with you to help make that happen.


James Risdon
Reply to @Jos Allaire: Pourquoi?

Est-ce que vous pensez qu'il n'y plus rien à discuter dans notre société ou que tous les nouvelles importantes sont déjà transmises dans les médias que nous avons?

Moi, je crois qu’une dialogue plus approfondi sur les enjeux importants dans notre société est quelque chose qui nous manque.

Nous nous devons d’être mieux informés.



Jos Allaire
Reply to @James Risdon: Commencez quelque chose en ligne.


James Risdon 
Reply to @Jos Allaire: Ca, ca ne réponds pas la question.


Lou Bell
Reply to @James Risdon: Bathurst is a failing community , as is much of the North Shore . Unfortunately for them the Liberals are not in office to throw away good money to another failing community .


Lou Bell  
Reply to @James Risdon: Liberal critic Roger Melanson could probably come up with some underhanded , undisclosed way to get the monies for a paper .


David Amos
Reply to @Jos Allaire: Well put


Jos Allaire
Reply to @Lou Bell: The meme faux tea met la croix sue tooth New Brunswick, money tchie pay.? 
 
Jos Allaire
Reply to @James Risdon: Fini le temps des gazettes!  

























Mac Isaac
All those dead and buried newspapermen & women must be rolling in their graves with this announcement. Community newspapers, big or small, contributed mightily to the societies in which they existed...and will be missed as mightily!


James Risdon 
Reply to @Mac Isaac: I am a newspaperman. If some business and community leaders want to back me, I'll start a newspaper in Bathurst.


Graeme Duke-Gibbs
Reply to @Mac Isaac: it all ended the day the internet was created. Now everyone, and I mean everyone can be a reporter, just look at that guy who asked that girl to put her dog on a leash! Bam, he is now a reporter. Or that guy in N.S. who did that flooding thing. BAM, another reporter and on and on. If you want to get the news out just walk in town and film interesting stuff or people and put it on facebook! BAM, NOW you are a reporter!!


Mac Isaac
Reply to @Graeme Duke-Gibbs: Journalism is NOT exactly the same as "reporting". Journalists will actually delve into a subject whereas what you're referring to as "BAM, another reporter" is nothing more or less than doing a video which can be manipulated in whatever way that person or another wishes. Journalists actually write! A long time ago I knew a man who created a community newspaper which was quite a good newspaper. It didn't pretend to have as an objective, a Pulitzer but it reported on the weekly happenings in that town and elsewhere in the area. Revenue paid for the staff, make-up and printing as well as distribution. Suddenly that was all gone because the local daily saw their revenue drop a little. This daily then went to all the advertisers and offered wider distribution at half the price charged by the weekly. We all know where this led! BUT, and this is important, the daily DIDN'T suddenly pull up stakes. It actually created another weekly which did much of what the first did; only better! This new weekly actually won awards for the stories it did. I daresay there's little to no community involvement in the kind of "reporting" to which you refer. If all you want is biased "reporting" you're in luck because that's what you're going to get...in spades! Unregulated "reporting" is about to become the norm when the only news you'll be able to access is online. Actual journalism, vis a vis in the local communities, is effectively dead. And that's incredibly sad for all of us; including those of us who get SOME of our information from online sources.


David Amos
Content disabled
Reply to @Mac Isaac: Cry me a river


David Amos
Content disabled
Reply to @Graeme Duke-Gibbs: Methinks Higgy's blogging buddy Chucky Leblanc proved that in 2006 when a judge acknowledged that bloggers are journalists It should not have been a small wonder when the Irving Clan had one of my blogger accounts and two email accounts illegally deleted 2 years later or the fact that the employee who bragged that he was the one who done it got fired not long after I published his email and one from his lawyer/wife/Green Party leader in other blogs N'esy Pas? 

 
David Amos
Content disabled
Reply to @David Amos: BINGO


























valmond landry
the best newspaper in NB is ACADIE NOUVELLE good coverage good way to learn french
and good news coverage .


James Risdon
Reply to @valmond landry: Don't the Irvings have an ownership share in the printing side of that newspaper, Acadie Presse?


David Amos
Reply to @valmond landry: Dream On

 
Katelin Dean
Reply to @James Risdon:


Katelin Dean
Reply to @Katelin Dean: @james Risdon - They don't have any ownership of Acadie Presse, simply a contract to print it. No influence whatsoever on what goes inside. 

























 
Janice small
Billionaire looking for bailouts..

Ray Oliver
Reply to @Janice small: Yeah cause that's their true bread winner in the game they own. Journalism.


David Amos
Content disabled
Reply to @Ray Oliver: Methinks its rather obvious that you work for them N'esy Pas?


David Amos
Content disabled
Reply to @David Amos: BINGO


























Donald Smith
They used to have a morning newspaper and an afternoon paper ? Their a day after it happens newspaper now.

Ray Bungay
Reply to @Donald Smith: Retro News or Classic News


James Risdon
Reply to @Donald Smith: That's because the printing of the newspaper takes time and they are still trying to cover breaking news as if theirs was the only news source in town.

The solution to this problem is for newspaper journalists to do investigative reporting and write features that are original and interesting and something you can't find anywhere else.



David Amos
Reply to @Donald Smith: Methinks many would agree that it is much worse than that N'esy Pas? 

























 
Gary MacKay
I find it hard to understand that a communications company like this decided that the way to communicate a change in the way they are positioned in communities across the province would choose an email to staff to disseminate in what ever way the public wishes to believe has happened. I can appreciate that things have changed only it did not just happen with current events. There were better ways to do this and in my opinion it included communicating.

James Risdon
Reply to @Gary MacKay: You're assuming they care about how you and I and the rest of the public perceive this. I put to you that they probably don't because there's nothing anyone will do about it. Or, at least, that's what they are counting on.


David Amos
Content disabled
Reply to @Gary MacKay: Methinks everybody knows that a certain Irving media VP has Mental Health Issues Thats why he could not testify at a recent lawsuit against his company N'esy Pas? 

 
David Amos
Content disabled
Reply to @David Amos: BINGO


























David Guitard
Time to leave the old ways of doing business and move into the future. They can do just as much from home as they can from an office and they don't have to drive to work.

Douglas James
Reply to @David Guitard: It's no wonder newspapers are failing. People don't even understand the role they play in ensuring a vibrant community.


James Risdon 
Reply to @Douglas James: Amen.


David Amos
Content disabled
Reply to @Douglas James: Clearly you don't either 

 
David Amos
Content disabled
Reply to @David Amos: BINGO 

























 

Justin Time 
need a "healthy independent newspaper to champion for the community and stick up for its interests, work its politicians and discover any bad behaviour that's taking place in the government or the public." True, but that's something Brunswick News is not. The papers are probably operating at a loss given the state of newspapers everywhere, but they continue to exist to try and steer public opinion and promote their own agenda. Just another tool that can be used to pressure politicians as well. I don't believe there exists an independent newspaper or news outlet anywhere. The last few months have only solidified that opinion.

John Smith
Reply to @Justin Time: Online news has become the only source to find the truth. BNI would not print any story that went against their interest. They fired a cartoonist because he would not do what he was told. These newspapers are no longer useful to BNI so they cut them off.


James Risdon
Reply to @John Smith: I'm a big fan of putting news online but you are sadly mistaken if you think that online news outlets are necessarily free of bias. If anything, I think bias in the media has grown a lot over the last couple of decades as media budgets have shrunk and politics has become ever more polarized.


David Amos
Reply to @John Smith: I concur
 


























Carlson MacKenzie
These papers haven't been a true community paper for years. Shortly after ownership came into the hands of the empire they evolved steadily into the advertisement polluted fluff that they are today.


James Risdon
Reply to @Carlson MacKenzie: Then invest in me and I'll start a true community newspaper.


David Amos
Content disabled
Reply to @James Risdon: Yea Right


David Amos
Content disabled
Reply to @David Amos: BINGO






















Jeff LeBlanc
Sad but that's the way she goes. Also it's not like those papers were the epididmy of great journalism.


James Risdon
Reply to @Jeff LeBlanc: They used to be good community newspapers.


David Amos
Reply to @James Risdon: Long ago before your buddies in the Irving Clan bought them




























mabel short
--so everyone...establish local news sheets in each community...


Donald Gallant
Reply to @mabel short:

Exactly. They complain about Irving.

Now he’s gone and they say what !



James Risdon
Reply to @mabel short: I am very happen to help any group of business and community leaders who wants to financially back the start-up of a true community newspaper in Bathurst.

I've put out the offer. If people take me up on it, it'll show they're serious about community news. If they don't, well, that will speak volumes about how they feel as well.



James Risdon
Reply to @James Risdon: happy


David Amos
Reply to @mabel short: Check out Facebook sometime


David Amos
Reply to @Donald Gallant: Tah Tah









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