It’s not often that one is forced to write about the passing of a titan, but when one finds themselves in the presence of a fallen hero, it’s difficult not to get emotional. When the Guelph Mercury announced that they would no longer release a print publication—as of Jan. 29, 2016—the atmosphere in The Ontarion office was decidedly tense.
It went without saying that we, as a team of journalists and as a group whose history is so undeniably tied to that of the Mercury, needed to write about the end of an era. What wasn’t immediately clear, however, was precisely how we would go about rectifying our desire to be professional and our human need for sentiment and emotion.
As the News Editor at The Ontarion, I felt it was necessary to say something. As a freelancer for the Guelph Mercury, I felt it was necessary to address the conflict-of-interest issue that would no doubt be present at the core of anything I could produce.
Alongside Emilio Ghloum—The Ontarion’s Editor-in-Chief—as well as Matteo Cimellaro, a long-time contributor to the paper, I’m beyond proud of the centre story that we published in the weeks following the Mercury’s seminal announcement. “Where has all the news gone?” contains all of the hallmarks of a song of farewell, while simultaneously capturing the undeniable truth that the world of print media is indeterminate and unstable, but well worth the effort.
–Sameer Chhabra
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