While the news of hundreds of newspapers shutting down across the country has been devastating for local communities and our industry, it has not had an impact on the Fassifern Guardian.
The Fassifern Guardian is owned by my family and has been for more than 50 years.
We have no plans to cease printing the newspaper and in fact, plans are afoot to help continue its 119 year old print edition, well into the future.
That is not to say we haven’t felt the affects of the downturn in our industry.
Social media has led to the dilution of the advertising market and the creation of so many voices claiming to have their readers best interest at heart.
Social media has allowed politicians and governments to directly communicate with their constituants, which is great for access but bypasses the necessary step of having the politician’s words scrutinised by professionals.
On Monday, Facebook executives told the ACCC it could cut out news from news paper sources completely without any significant impact on its business.
This is despite the fact that almost half the adults using Facebook, access their news from the platform.
The Fassifern Guardian exists because of the loyalty of its readers and advertisers. It exists because it is trusted news source.
So thank you for your support over the years.
There are only 21 independent newspapers covering communities like ours in Queensland. All are members of the Queensland Country Press Association.
Collectively we reach hundreds of thousands of regional people across the state and represent them at all levels of government.
That is why, at our last AGM, we resolved to create a state government lobby group, of which I am a member, to help push the cause of regional Queenslanders back into the halls of George Street.
Over the decades, this newspaper has won many awards for our strong editorials and the quality of stories in our newspaper but we have not rested on our laurels as we knew it would not be enough in the digital age.
We began publishing an online product at the end of last year and despite all the disruption of this year, tens of thousands of unique readers have come to the website to read our stories each month.
We are now the largest and most widely read locally produced newspaper in the Scenic Rim.
Drew Creighton, Editor
