The Expositor has once again garnered Better Newspaper Competition awards in a number of categories from the Ontario Community Newspaper Association’s ‘Better Newspapers Competition, and we are deeply honoured by the recognition that we continue to bring the best in local news coverage to our readers.
But the highest award we receive is the faith of those readers who return to our pages, either in traditional newsprint or online, to discover all the Island news that’s fit to print and the advertisers who depend on us to bring awareness of their wares to the community at large.
Much has been made of the dire straits facing the newspaper industry as online giants continue to soak up those advertising dollars, yet our little newspaper continues to soldier on, thanks to the support of the Manitoulin community. Those huge multinational corporations that haul in the bulk of online advertising put little back into the communities from which they draw their revenue—dealing with quality reporting on local news in small rural towns and villages simply cannot fit into their models.
When that advertising revenue flows into a small community newspaper, the vast majority of those funds flow right back into the communities it comes from. When it flows into a massive international entity, those funds drain out of not only the local economies, but immediately exit our nation’s borders.
Small community newspapers reach out to a demographic that is poorly served by large corporations, demonstrably so according to independent advertising research. It is a message that is hard to communicate to those raised in the information/microtargeting age, but great strides are being made to address that issue and community newspapers continue to adapt through their professional associations.
In the meantime, it is thanks to the loyalty of our subscribers, readers and advertisers that have remained a vibrant and vital link to local news and events that have impacted Manitouliners’ lives for the past 145 years. We could not do what we do without you, and for that, we are deeply humbled and grateful.
Thank you for allowing us to serve you.
