News feature
A whole “news” world
It should come as no surprise to hear that the world of news and journalism is in a state of transition. This became painfully obvious for citizens of the Royal City back in January, when it was announced that Guelph’s daily newspaper, the Guelph Mercury, would be closing its doors after 149 years of print publication.
While big-time newspapers like the Globe and Mail or Toronto Star have been able to stay afloat, many smaller, local newspapers have not been able to survive the transition to online and independent journalism.
The Ontarion sat down with Adam A. Donaldson, creator of the Guelph Politico news blog and former Ontarion editor, to talk about how journalism is changing in face of several new forms of media.
“…Guelph’s daily newspaper, the Guelph Mercury, would be closing its doors after 149 years…”
Donaldson explained, “The thing people don’t understand is that information comes from a place, it doesn’t come from your phone, or your device, or Google. It comes from a person, it comes from someone sitting somewhere and writing down what other people say as they’re covering it.”
He stressed that there are still journalists who are out in the field, gathering information and publishing these stories, and they deserve to be compensated for that work.
“I think what happened in the last 10 years is, and we’ve seen this adjustment in other areas too—music, movies, things that the internet allowed for free—created a culture of, ‘well this should always be free.’ And I think what we’ve seen those industries come around to it that when you give people an easy way to get something and pay for it, people will.”
“…information comes from a place, it doesn’t come from your phone, or your device, or Google. It comes from a person…”
This is where Donaldson came up with the idea to crowdfund his news blog, Guelph Politico. It is his hope that with enough contributions, the Guelph Politico website will be able to expand to feature a weekly podcast, as well as hire a part-time contributor and develop a new website.
“What is difficult,” Donaldson said, “Is getting people used to the idea of paying for news again.”
Donaldson’s endavours with the Guelph Politico blog, as well as the closing of the Guelph Mercury daily newspaper, are examples of the ways that journalism has been changing.
“…Donaldson came up with the idea to crowdfund his news blog…”
While the idea of online news might not be something everyone is used to or even comfortable with, the dawn of citizen journalism and alternative news outlets does have benefits of their own.
Well-versed in the world of social media himself, Donaldson emphasizes that tools such as Twitter and Facebook do have their place in journalism. According to Donaldson, “It depends what you’re looking for.” He adds, “If you follow me, you’re getting the play-by-play […] announcer giving you what’s going on as it happens.”
Live-tweeting and live-blogging, which are much of what Donaldson is known for, are becoming more popular. Tuning into a live-blog gives the reader the opportunity to access the information they want immediately after it happens, catering to our impatient nature. These innovative news outlets also have the benefit of engaging the reader in the journalist’s world.
As Donaldson puts it, “There’s that engagement factor [on Twitter] in trying to not just tell the story, but to immerse somebody in what is going on where you are.”
“…a live-blog gives the reader the opportunity to access the information they want immediately after it happens…”
The concept of citizen journalism also allows writers to bring a new perspective into the news. In his interview with The Ontarion, Donaldson referred to a piece he wrote about Guelph Transit a while back. While many other news outlets in Guelph may have covered the story, there are often guidelines or restrictions as to what a writer can publish in a newspaper. For an independent journalist like Donaldson, these restrictions need not apply. Being a transit user, Donaldson was able to share a perspective on the transit system that a formal news source wouldn’t have from simply talking to city and transit officials.
While it isn’t likely that the Guelph Mercury publication will come back, and it is highly possible that print newspapers will become a thing of the past, Donaldson stresses that however you get your news, that information is a public service, “And if it is a public service, the public needs to take some responsibility for it.”
Photo by Dana Bellamy/The Ontarion.