Pontiac’s community newspapers adjust to postal strike
Pontiac’s community newspapers adjust to postal strike
Pontiac’s two local newspapers have had their distribution heavily disrupted by the ongoing postal strike, but are hoping their readers turn to their online editions for their news.
Roughly 55,000 postal workers represented by the union CUPW have been on strike since November 15, including delivery drivers in the Pontiac. According to media reports, its unclear when the negotiations between Canada Post and the union over issues including wages, benefits and working conditions will be resolved.
Sophie Kuijper Dickson, the managing editor of The Equity, a weekly English broadsheet based in Shawville, said that they have been making the digital transition for some time by offering access to their online edition with their print subscriptions. She said that over the summer they invested in revamping their website, and said they had seen an uptick in the last week of people accessing their online accounts for the first time.
Newspapers big and small across the country have long been struggling with the steady decline of print advertising revenue, though small, local publications have been hit the hardest. According to the Local News Research Project, since 2008, 525 local news outlets closed in 347 communities across the country, with roughly three quarters of those being community papers.
The Pontiac Journal, a free bi-weekly, bilingual tabloid based in Mansfield-et-Pontefract, has also been hit hard by the strike, as their paper is typically distributed to every mailbox in the Pontiac. Manager Lynne Lavery explained in an email that they were distributing their latest edition at various businesses and dépanneurs throughout the region (including CHIP 101.9’s office). Their website is free to access and contains a list of all the physical locations to pick up a copy.
The Equity has been in print since 1883, and Kuijper Dickson is the third generation of her family leading the paper’s newsroom. She said that this strike has been a wake up call in terms of the challenges that print publications face in 2024.
